One Door Closes As Another Door Opens
by Payne N. Uranus
Summary: [COMPLETE! In the process of reposting] A dream of Ulrich's predicts the future, but only part of it... There's a new kid in school and Ulrich feels like his life is being taken from him...Rated PG13 due to cussing and other... stuff... YxU JxA OddxNo One
1. Default Chapter: One Dream

**One Door Closes As Another Opens- A Code: Lyoko Fanfic  
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_Written By: Painin Uranus_

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.:AN:.**

_Okay, as readers that have seen this story progress should realize, I am going back and adding a little bit of this, fixing a little bit of that, y'know, spiffing up my story hit for new readers. I, as well as some helpful reviewers, found quite a lot of mistakes throughout the story, so I figured, why not fix up the whole thing? So, have fun, I've tried making the chapters a little bit clearer and longer. Don't forget to review to tell me how I did!_

I dreamed this story up, and I figured that it was a pretty good idea, so I wrote it. It probably didn;t turn out the way I wanted it to, but I think it's good enough. Also, this is my first fanfic, so constructive critism is welcome. No flames, please! If you don't like it, then just stop reading it, okay? There may be someone out there that _does_ like it. Oh, and guess who's POV _this_ is? (I know, it's not that hard.)_  
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**Chapter Default: One Dream**

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_Darkness was everywhere. Surrounded me, closing in. I was breathing it in, inside my body. It consumed me, fogging up my mind. It made me shudder, wishing for the sunshine's sweet caress... Light seemed to be a myth in this place..._

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There was only one door, my only way out. Right there, right behind me._

_But I wasn't the only one in the room._

_And I was angry. Really angry. I was furious, blinding mad. My face was stone cold, ice would seem like fire, a burning, flaming fire. I was dull, emotionless. I was never like this, no one could push me this far. My eyes were like steel, I could barely make out the figures in front of me. It wa Yumi... and Odd and Jeremie. They were standing there in front of me, hurt yet angry expressions adorning their usually friendly faces. They were there, right there, standing in front of me. My three best friends—my two buds and my crush. And, for some ungodly, despicable reason...  
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_I turned away._

_Then there was Sissi and her zombie goons, standing in the doorway, blocking the only exit. For some reason, I wasn't irritated. I wasn't annoyed. I wasn't thrilled either, but I wasn't acting like she was a bad person. She stood confidently, the light shinning behind her, hands on her hips and lips set in a smug grin. Without any hesitation, I walked toward them, calm, sure steps... saying over my shoulder in a cold, detatched voice, "One door closes as another door opens." _

_Sissi offered her hand, arrogant and cocky as always. I took her hand easily, without a disgusted look or an unpleasant shiver, and went through the open door, blinded with light, without looking back._

**.:End Dream:. **

I awoke abruptly, sitting up as if I were laying on needles. Gasping for air, my head whipped around, taking in my surroundings wildly. My pants echoed throughout the silent room for what seemed like eternity. Finally gaining enough sense to calm myself, I glanced at my clock.

It was 2:37.

Really late.

Hesitantly, I took a look in Odd's direction, just to see if I had woken him. Despite the fact that I had cried out, Odd continued to sleep peacefully, his slumber undisturbed.

_Lucky,_ I thought darkly, a frown overtaking my usually passive feautures before dissolving away once more.

So far, after a lot of testing over the past few years, I had concluded that nothing could wake him. Odd could sleep through a war, complete with cannons and gunshots.

That is, until the lunch bell rang.

I laughed slightly, my earlier unease leaving me quickly. For a normal human being, the bell would have to be super loud, but Odd had all his senses tuned into the sound and could hear it from a mile away—if we could ever get him a mile away.

I slowly laid back down on my sweat-soaked bed, the uncomfortable feeling welcomed as my thoughts returned to my dream, my amusement subsiding.

_What was that all about?_ I asked myself, my brow wrinkled in confusion while staring intently at the ceiling. I glared hard at it, mentally forcing it to answer my question. _Me, turning away from my friends, just to join Sissi? No way. It'd never happen…_

I pondered it a little bit more, the sound of Odd's snoring muffled due to my earplugs. For some reason, I took comfort in the sound, soothing me slowly to a peaceful state.

_Naw… would never happen…_

I decided that it was nothing to worry about, so I closed my eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. My mind hardly dreamed at all for the rest of that night, that one comment stamped permanently on my mind:

One door opens as another closes.

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.:AN:.**

_So? What'd you think? It's still short, but it's a prolouge sort of thing, so it's suppose to be short… right? Still, I plan on adding more to the others, so read on, my friends, read on!_

_Ja ne,_

_painin uranus a.k.a. P.U. _


	2. A New Guy and A New Turn

**One Door Closes As Another Opens- A Code: Lyoko Fanfic**

_Written By: Painin Uranus_

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.:AN:.**

_Right, here's the next chapter. This is where it gets kinda weird… X.A.N.A.'s up to something, and guess who's gonna find out? Well… why don't you just read and… yeah!_

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**Chapter 2: A New Guy and A New Turn**

**Ulrich's POV: **

"Class, we have a new student," Ms. Hertz announced, standing proudly at the front of the classroom. It was the next day during Physics, and we, as in the class, were bored stiff. Odd was asleep next to me and I was leaning back in my chair, staring out the window while others were doing the same.

"Lance, if you could kindly stand up and show yourself to the class…"

The new kid, Lance, stood up from his seat near the front of my row, and didn't even bother smiling. Everyone was just staring at him blankly, some said hi or some kind of greeting but other than that, we were like zombies.

"Everyone, this is Lance Halsted," Ms. Hertz introduced, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He is from America and will be spending the rest of the school year with us. Please do your duty as a resident as well as a student here and make him feel as welcome as possible."

He was into black. That's all I had thought of him at the time. I don't mind black 'cause Yumi always wears black, but sometimes it was just… y'know—dull. He had black baggy cargo pants, a black long-sleeved shirt, and weird silver hair that stood up like grass on his head. His eyes were this eerie shade of gray that made the hairs on the back of my neck crawl. I could tell that he was wearing a necklace of some sort, but it was hidden underneath his shirt purposefully, like a blanket. Once more, those deep, unnerving gray eyes surveyed everybody, resting on each one as if he was looking for something. They continued their way around… and landed on me.

Suddenly, I got this weird feeling inside me. Like I was being read like a book, all my secrets and thoughts going to him. I received a very uncomfortable feeling under his scrutinizing gaze. Looking away, I turned my own gaze away and stared blankly at the window again, still aware of the look I was getting.

"Thank you, Lance. You make take your seat," Ms. Hertz said, unfazed by his strange behavior. She turned to the chalkboard, picking up a piece before writing a few numbers. "Now class, open your books to page 117, we will be learning about…"

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Thankfully, and to Odd's great relief, the lunch bell rang a short while later, and everyone filed out to the cafeteria, with Odd in the lead like always. 

"Get away, that's _my_ food!"

When we were finally able to get our meals, we sat down at our table, waiting for the others. I made sure that I sat on the same side as Odd, just so that I didn't have to watch him as he ate. It wasn't the best thing to see while you were eating yourself. You might see your food after it's already had gone down a lot sooner than you'd thought…

We started to talk a bit, but it was one-sided conversation, considering Odd's head was buried in the cafeteria tray, his mouth acting like a vacuum once more. I could only keep talking, pretending that nothing was out of the ordinary.

Just then, Lance slowly walked up to our table, staring at us once more. Or more specifically—

Me.

"Hey, can I join you?" he asked in that way that made it seem like it was a statement, not a question. His tray was balanced in his hands before him, extended like he was all ready to sit down.

Which he was.

"Uh, well, you see…" I started to answer, but Lance just plopped down in the seat across from me, setting his tray down roughly onto the table. His eyes returned to me, as if studying every move I made, and completely ignoring Odd's muffled greeting.

_All the better to see you, my dear…_

"…Never mind," I finished. Wanting nothing more than having that gaze removed from my body, I looked up searchingly, only to see Yumi, closely followed by Jeremie, coming our way with their trays as well.

"Hey," I nodded at them, relief flooding into my voice. They nodded back to me with a smile, coming to a stop when they reached the front of our table.

"Who's this?" asked Jeremie, his smile fading slightly as it was replaced with a puzzled look, his eyebrows knitted in confusion while jerking his head and indicated to Lance.

"Uh, guys, this is Lance," I introduced. "He's new here, came from America. Lance this is Yumi and Jeremie." I looked back at Lance just in time to see him eyeing Yumi hungrily, with her blushing insanely at the gesture. I started to hate the way he was looking her up and down. It was burning up inside of me. I cleared my throat and I was happy to see that it drew his gaze away from her and back to me. As much as I didn't like his scrutinization, I would rather have him looking at me then looking at her.

"Nice to meet you," Yumi greeted kindly, smiling brightly even though her blush was still evident.

"Yeah," agreed Jeremie smoothly. "So, you're new, huh?"

Lance simply nodded.

"Did someone already give you the tour? Or would you like one of us to show you around?" Yumi asked.

"You," he said expressionlessly, his eyes returning to her frame once more.

"Excuse me?" she and I asked simultaneously, her tone slightly shocked while mine annoyed, anger burning up in me again. My grip around my fork was increasing in intensity, and my eyes started to glare heatedly at the boy in front of me.

"I want Yumi to show me around," he said in that same tone again.

"I don't think…" I started to say, but Yumi interrupted me.

"I'll be happy to show you around," she said with a smile. I looked up at her, but she didn't return the gaze. She was too busy looking over Lance, and her blush returned with vengeance.

My rage was _really_ reaching…

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Yumi and Lance were able to skip their next classes so that she could show Lance around. I was furious. I wasn't able to watch them like I was at lunch and I didn't trust Yumi to keep her hands off him. But I couldn't find anything wrong with her flirting with another guy, as much as I wanted to. I mean, it wasn't like she had a boyfriend or anything and it wasn't like I could stop her. 

Yeah, that was Yumi…

During Mrs. Schmitz math class I was staring out the window, watching the trees grow, only because I couldn't see the grass that well (Yup, and my parents wonder why I don't do so well in this class), when I saw two figures walking along outside on the school grounds. One was pointing out different things while the other just nodded.

It was Yumi and Lance.

And, I realized with a scowl, they were holding hands.

I was mad. One, because that wasn't me, and two because that was Lance. Lance. Lance, the guy who liked black. Lance, the guy who was new here. Lance, the guy who was taking my girl away from me. Lance, the guy who was outside with her and holding her hand.

Which—did I mention this—wasn't me!

I actually slammed my hand down on my desk out of frustration, my head bowed and my face twisted in anger. I was growling under my breath, and it all added up to jerking Odd awake and surprising the teacher and half of the class.

"Ulrich, is there something wrong?" she asked me pointedly, turning away from the chalkboard with one hand on her hip and the other loosely holding her raised piece of chalk.

_Yeah, there's something wrong,_ I felt like saying mockingly. _C'mon over to the window. You see them? Well, the girl out there is the one I have a major crush on and that guy there is acting like she's already his girlfriend, which—by the way—she isn't. But other than that, and the fact that I'm stuck up in this class from hell, about to fall asleep out of sheer boredom, I'm feeling just peachy, thanks for asking._

But of course I would've gotten into loads of trouble for 'sassing to the teacher', so I merely stated with an innocent tone, "I'm fine, Mrs. Schmitz. Can I please just go get a drink of water?" She granted me my request with a simple, yet much warmer, nod. I headed out the door without saying anything to Odd, who had been poking me in the ribs throughout the whole ordeal.

As soon as I was out of the classroom, I took a quick walk around part of the school, trying to calm myself down so that I could think straight. I left the school building, pacing the corridor with aggravation, turning around every so often to walk the same path I had moments before.

_What does she see in him? _I pondered heatedly, my steps echoing off of the deserted hallway._ He's just a scary Goth kid that's obsessed with black! Nothing special!_

_But Yumi wears black, _another voice joined in reasonably._ Does that make her a Goth?_

_No! _I argued with disbelief, my face showing every emotion that went through my head._ Yumi is a smart, strong, kind and caring person that—_

_Wears black, just like Lance, _the voice finished smugly.

_But, I thought that she had a thing for me! _I was starting to get desperate, my pace quickening.

_Yeah, but it's not like she actually came out and said, I love you, lets be an item,_ it told me passively.

_Of course not!' _I said defensively._ 'That's not like Yumi._

_Well, Ulrich, you didn't exactly do the same thing, _it responded with a hint of amusement._ So if she wants to go out with other guys—_

_Who says that she's going out with him? _I demanded crossly, my feet slapping the pavement.

_Well, she's out there with him, isn't she? _it exclaimed pointedly._ And they're holding hands weren't they? So of course he's gonna ask her out!_

_No way. _I said stubbornly, stopping briefly to cross my arms across my chest. I started walk in a oval-like circle, my head bent in thought._ Yumi likes me. She wouldn't to that do me._

_Remember that time with Emily?_

_How could I forget? _ I replied dreamily, raising my eyes to stare at the underside of the roof as waves of happiness rained down on me from the simpler days._ That was the day I almost kissed Yumi…_

_This may be the same case._

_But I didn't go out with Emily! _I said with outrage, my relaxed expression snapping back to enragement, my pacing starting up faster than before._ I just got to know her. Maybe if I did start liking her, then I—_

_Would have asked her out on a date and maybe you would've become girlfriend and boyfriend and Yumi would be jealous and would get mad at you and would probably not talk to you again for a long time, _the voice finished for me again in a bored tone.

_Is that what's really happening? _I asked, worry taking over my features and making me halt my stride._ Is she really gonna fall for him?_

_Let's just wait and see,_ it consoled slowly, soothingly._ Get her alone and casually ask her what she thinks of Lance._

_What if she likes him? _I challenged skeptically.

_Then just explain your feelings to her, _it suggested._ Maybe she'll understand._

_Guys are not well known for their amazing ability to talk about feelings, _I thought with doubt, scuffing my toes on the cement as I pondered how I would do this.

_Well then,_ it responded confidently,_ you can be the first._

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.:AN:.**

_I hope I gave enough detail for you guys to understand what was going on. Really, it was difficult trying to convey all of those movements while also saying what was going on in his head. I pray that you guys got the idea. Oh well, that's done, now on to the next chapter…_

I think I made Lance a little too straight forward, y'know, with the one word sentences. What do you think? What will happen in the next chapter? Will Ulrich finally confess his feelings to Yumi? What will Yumi say? And what about Lance? Heck, why am I even asking questions? I already know! Hee, hee. Stay tuned!_  
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	3. Replacement

**One Door Closes As Another Door Opens- A Code: Lyoko Fanfic**

_Written By: Painin Uranus_**  
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.:AN:.**

_I just noticed I've spelled the title in each chapter before this one wrong. How embarrassing! No, don't go check!…Okay, fine, you can check… anywho, now that you're back (I'm assuming you just got back from checking to see if I'm telling the truth about my chapter titles), I've got a few things to say:_

_First off, I'm sorry for having Jeremie cuss in this chapter. I realize he isn't the type to use profanity unless in a drastic (and I stress DRASTIC) situation. So, please accept my apologies._

_Second, I realize I have other works to be working on, but I wanted to get this out of the way. I have just finished writing the last chapter, but I will need to have some, ahem, motivation to post it, if you get my meaning. That may inspire me to finish up editing the rest of my chapters (it isn't as much as you may think), which would lead me to posting the very VERY LAST CHAPTER! WHOOT!_

_So that's it. That was a couple, right? Right. Okay, here's the new and improved chapter! Hoza!_

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Chapter 3: Replacement**

**Ulrich's POV:**

I never returned to class, since there was only a few minutes left by the time I was done 'thinking'. So, seeing the rest of the students streaming out of the classrooms, I made my way over to our bench that the gang and I always met up at after lessons. I sat down, leaning back and letting my head hang over the side, staring blankly at the upside-down greenery. My legs were sprawled apart, my arms resting idly by my side as I waited for everyone else to meet me.

I glanced over to where Jeremie usually came out and saw him surrounded by Sissi's gang. Straightening up so that I could see better, I sighed. Jeremie didn't seem to be handling it well, considering that Nicholas just got shoved up against the nearby school wall. Putting my hands on my knees, I readied myself to get up and go to his rescue, but stopped when a dark figure with white, grassy-like hair beat me to it.

Lance stepped up behind Nicholas and tapped him on the shoulder. The blond boy looked around with a dopey smirk, proud of the fact that he was doing as Sissi wanted him to…

…just in time to get a black eye.

Sissi shrieked loudly and the poor boy fell to the ground with a thump. Jeremie was let go and was walking to Lances' side quickly. Nicholas slowly got up, and said something to Lance. He responded by motioning that he would've hit again and Nicholas backed down. They started to leave, but Sissi came up to Lance and whispered something in his ear. He acted as though he didn't hear anything, and turned the other way, going back to Jeremie.

I was shocked. Only because he did exactly what _I_ would've done, and because Jeremie was acting like Lance was his best buddy. That same feeling I got at lunch set fire to my insides. I didn't understand what the heck was going on, but I just knew for a fact that I didn't like it.

Not one bit.

I walked hurriedly over to Jeremie, concern and puzzlement written across my face.

"Jeremie, are you okay? What did they want from you?" I asked him, putting a steady hand on his thin shoulder.

"It was nothing, really," he said with a shrug. "They just felt like picking on me. Then I said smarted off to them and was going to pay for it, if it weren't for Lance here. He saved me the trouble of going around with one good eye." When he said the last part, he gave Lance an audible slap on the back.

It was the first time I had ever seen Lance smile. He would've looked really nice and stuff if I didn't get this strange vibe coming from him. But, still, it was irritating me—he was acting like it was some big deal, saving Jeremie, and Jeremie wasn't helping it any.

"Right," I grumbled, turning away from them with a scowl on my face, my shoulders slumped in defeat. First Yumi, now Jeremie. What did Odd think about Lance? Was I the only one that didn't like him? Was I the only one who sensed something was off?

"So, where is Yumi and Odd?" Jeremie asked lightly.

"Dunno," I answered dully, not really paying attention.

Jeremie shrugged it off, but walked closer to me.

"Hey, Ulrich, can I talk to you for a second?" he asked me innocently, putting a hand on my back and leading me towards the closest oak tree farthest from Lance.

"Sure, Jeremie."

"Listen, I had a chat with Yumi…" his voice trailed off simply.

"Yeah, so?" I said, smart-mouthing.

"Well, she talked with him and got to know him…"

I started to burn up yet again. _I'm gonna get used to this feeling, aren't I?_ I figured in my mind.

"…And she thinks that we can trust him with our secret," he finished.

I stared at him.

"Jeremie, it's not like you to joke around," I said, looking at him like he was crazy. At least, crazier than Odd… "Are you serious? Tell him about…"

"Well, it would be easier to handle X.A.N.A if we had more of us, and that way, it would be an even number. Two to fight in Lyoko and two to defend the home front," he answered quickly.

"We barely know him! At least give it… a couple _weeks _at the most, not a couple hours!"

"As I said before, Yumi and I both think that he's a good person."

'_Are you guys BLIND!_' I wanted to scream at him. _Can't you guys see that there's something wrong with him! AM I THE ONLY ONE?_

"You're gonna go ahead with it if I say no anyway, huh?" I asked irritably, cocking my head to the side with a forced smile on my face.

"Well, it depends on Odd…"

"If he says yes and I say no?"

"I guess we won't do it unless the vote was unanimous."

"Good. Then I say no."

"You're the one that doesn't even know him that well, Ulrich, and he seems to like you."

"Well, that road is a one way street."

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?"

"Like an ass?"

"I'm not acting like an ass!"

"Yes, you are!"

"How would you know?"

"Because I'm one of your best friends, Ulrich! If something is bothering you, you should be able to tell me!"

"Nothing's bothering me! And if there was, I wouldn't tell you."

"And why is that? I've told you all about my problems, and they fall under almost every category. I'm pretty sure you could tell me yours and I would be able to understand."

"Just drop it, Jeremie."

I started to walk away, offhandedly noticing that Lance wasn't where we left him.

"What, you think we're through?" he yelled to me, his own face showing anger.

"Yeah, we are," I growled, shoving my hands deep into my pockets and hunching my shoulders dejectedly. "For now."

I stomped away crossly, and I could hear him faintly say, "I'm hurt, Ulrich, I really am."

It was true—I _was_ being an ass to Jeremie, but at that point, I didn't care. I was pissed off, so I went to look for Odd. He was always able to make me laugh when I felt like blowing something up. It was either him or a trip to Lyoko, and I didn't think that X.A.N.A. would have monsters waiting for me just so that I could blow off some steam.

We should have a training program for times like this.

I headed to the boy's dorm, forcing myself to calm down and act like my normal self.

When I got there, ready to have some relaxation with my best friend, I saw Odd standing in our doorway, talking to someone. At first I thought it was Yumi.

But then I heard _him_.

"You just tell me when you've got that CD, okay?" Odd was saying to Lance. He looked really happy, more so than when it was lunchtime, surprise, surprise... It was like every fiber in his body was charged with sugar. And Odd plus sugar meant extreme danger—or that something big was up.

"Don't worry, Odd, I will," came his voice. It was a lot more relaxed then the last time he spoke.

But what did I care?

Then Odd turned around and saw me. "Hey, Ulrich! It just so happens that Lance has connections and has offered to get me one of those expensive CD's of 'Mach Warriors'. The guy who created those machines will even sign it! Have I told you how much I love that one song?" What made the situation even worse was that Odd started to sing the song _for_ me, like I didn't know what he was talking about.

As if I hadn't heard it several billion times already!

A few other students stuck their heads out of their dorms in order to tell him to shut up. At that point, however, I started to walk away. Fury enveloped me. What was up with Lance? It was as if he's my replacement. Like he was taking over my life!

I paused.

That was it.

It's like he's taking over my life.

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.:AN:.**

_And that's that. Hope you guys don't mind for me responding to your reviews, there's just so friggin many, and such... I'll probably do it at the end of the VER LAST CHAPTER! Okay? Okay. Hope you liked it, if you got any complaints or comments period, feel free to review them to me. I'll see if I can change whatever it is...maybe...lol. See ya guys, sorry its taking so long to post the last chapter, I know I'm cruel... _


	4. Please

**.:/AN/:.** Alright! I got one review! And that special reviewer is... codelyoko2004!!! Thank you so much and I'm dedicating my next chapter to you! And to be honest, I think it's the best one so far. Lucky you! Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please R&R!---

Chapter 4: Please  
  
Jeremie's POV:  
  
"Yumi, you have to speak with him," I pleaded desperately. "He's hasn't been himself ever since Lance showed up."  
  
"What's wrong with him?" she asked, clueless as to where I was heading.  
  
_Geez, do I have to spell it out for you?_  
  
I had seen the way Ulrich had reacted when he had seen Lance eyeing Yumi and the way he freaked when he saw them on the grounds, holding hands. I also could guess why Ulrich was upset with me for suggesting that Lance joined them. I wasn't able to figure out the whole deal, but I had a pretty good idea.  
  
"Yumi, he needs to talk to you!" I practically shouted. "You're the only one who can reach him right now!"  
  
"Why not Odd?" she asked, confused as to why it was up to her.  
  
"Because Odd already tried talking to him, but Ulrich just locked himself in the bathroom, turned on the shower, blow dryer, and sink so that he couldn't hear him speak."  
  
"Why do you think that I could actually get through to him?" she asked yet again.  
  
I finally got it that she knew _why_ it was her; she just didn't want to accept the fact that it was true. I knew that Yumi wasn't _that_ dense.

"Please, Yumi," I asked quietly. "You know Ulrich well. Just try to talk to him. Maybe he'll listen to you. Just... just don't mention you and Lance, okay?"  
  
"Okay, Jeremie, I won't pretend anymore. It's just... I never thought that this would have that big of an effect on him. If he really feels that way about me, then why didn't he just come out and say it?"  
  
"Same reason you didn't," was all I said.  
  
Yumi blushed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay, I'll go talk to him now. He's in his room, right?"  
  
"Yeah, Odd decided to leave Ulrich alone for awhile, as amazing as that sounds."  
  
"Right. I'll see you later, Jeremie. And thanks."  
  
"Don't mention it. And don't mention Lance."  
  
"Gotcha. Bye!" and with that, she left my dorm and headed down to Ulrich's and Odd's.

**.:/AN/:.** Okay, I lied about not having short chapters, but, I swear, they will be long. They will! I'm still working on my next chapter, so it will probably be a little while. Oh, and I would like to thank codelyoko2004 again for the review. Please R&R on your way out!


	5. All Because Of Yumi

**.:/AN/:.** I'm gonna take the time to say thank you to all my reviewers! I was starting to get worried when I didn't get a lot of reviews... Oh, well! So, thank you, to the following:

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**_Dolfinz_**- I'm sorry about the whole anonymous review things, I wish I didn't have that. I didn't like dealing with it either. Sorry!

**_magicalfairy12_**- I understand what you're thinking, but believe me: it'll all make sense later.

**_dbzqal99_**- It didn't have your name on it, buddy, and I wouldn't have known that you didn't like copycats (not that I am one). Just take it as a compliment and leave it.

**_MoonLightWolf_**- I didn't mean for it to end up like that! The edit thingie screwed up! I'll fix it, don't worry... thanks for the compliments!

**_codelyoko2004_**- My #1 reviewer (don't get angry, he/she was the first to review...)! I'm sorry, I haven't gotten a chance to e-mail you, but I will, I promise. Nice of you to review again!

**_Aikyo-chan_**- I'm updating, I'm updating! Just, hold your horses (I wish I had one...)! Thanks, though!

**_sea-tiger170_**- As I told magicalfairy12, I understand what you're thinking, but it will make sense! Just wait for it, okay? Thanks for the thoughts, it's nice to know where I'm leading you guys to!

**_anzBLONDiE xD_**- Thank you ver much!

**_Terragirl_**- You'll see... I'm not saying anything else.

Now, those that want to read the story, what are you waiting for? I'm just thanking these wonderful people, you don't need to read them, too! Here you go!---

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Chapter 5: All Because Of Yumi  
  
Back to Ulrich's POV:  
  
I was mad. No amount of ice cold water could put out my fiery rage. First Yumi, then Jeremie, and lastly, my best bud Odd. All of them acting like he's the best guy in the world. And then there was me. I could just see the picture. The one of the gang and me that was next to my clock. The one where Jeremie and I are sitting on the bench with Odd on the ground with his mutt, Kiwi, and Yumi, with her arms around Jeremie's and my necks. Slowly I started to fade out of the picture as Lance took my place, except he was holding Yumi's arm in place and she rested her head on top of his...  
  
I slammed my fists on the sink area, bruising their bases. I couldn't understand what I was feeling! I had never felt this before! But, why couldn't I control it? I was able to control my other feelings!  
  
I stepped out of the snowing shower and rapped a tower around my lower abdomen. I didn't even bother drying off. I slipped on my pants and slid on my tank top. They instantly got wet, so it was plastered to my skin. I was hoping that the cold fabric would wake me up from this nightmare.  
  
I plopped down on the bed and grabbed that picture that was resting near my alarm clock. I remembered when I didn't have anything to worry about. No need to fret about loosing Yumi to some other guy, Odd finding another best friend, Jeremie getting another protector... I really missed that feeling... heck, I didn't even know there _was_ such a feeling...  
  
Then there was a knock on our door. Or should I say 'my' door right now.  
  
"I don't want to talk to you right now, Odd," I growled.  
  
"It's Yumi," came a muffled voice from the other side of the door.  
  
My anger vanished. It was amazing how she was able to do that, just make my fury die. But I didn't let that faze me. I knew my anger didn't just go away; it was hidden and would rear its head when it needed to.  
  
"What do you want?" I asked roughly.  
  
"To come in." She sounded hesitant.  
  
"It's your funeral," I said in a mocking tone.  
  
Still she came in.  
  
"What's wrong with you? You're not acting like the Ulrich I know." She sat down on Odd's bed, trying to catch my eye, but I wouldn't let her. It's pretty cool how easy something's are when you put your mind to it.  
  
"Well, then that just shows how much you know me then," I snarled.  
  
"I know I know you well, Ulrich, but... I guess I've never seen you jealous before."  
  
_So that's what this feeling is? In some ways, I like it..._  
  
I laughed harshly, "Jealous? Of what? Of who? You know, Yumi, I thought I was able to understand you, but now you've lost me completely."  
  
That should get her good, I thought. But no. She was tougher than that. That's one of those things that I couldn't help but admire about her. But right then, I hated it. Right then, I actually wished that she was more like Sissi. I wanted to be able to hurt her. Make her cry. Give her one sliver of the pain and fury that I was feeling then. Then maybe she would be able to help me. Save me...  
  
"Nice try, Ulrich," she said, her face stern. "I'm not buying it. Now: What is up? You know you can tell me; I won't laugh, or tell anyone. You should know that by now."  
  
Her words hit home. Of course I knew that I could trust her. Heck, I had to trust her with my life on more than one occasion. So, yeah, I could trust her... but this matter was totally different. I needed someone else. Someone that wasn't involved with Lance. Someone that hated him... just like me.  
  
I sighed out loud, so that it would make her think that I was about to tell her something important.  
  
"You know, Yumi..." I started in a gloomy tone. "When I first came here, the first person I met was Odd. He was a great guy, always cracking jokes and making people laugh, including me. If he tried hard enough, he could have had me rolling around on the ground, gasping for air and begging him to stop. I was extremely fortunate to have a buddy that could cheer me up when I felt down. But, as you can see, he wasn't able to help me right now. _Odd_ was not able to help me... 

"Then, Odd introduced me to Jeremie. He was a genius. Pure genius. He was able to give great advice, and always was willing to explain my homework to me. I was lucky to have a guy that I could talk to when I had a problem. And even now, Jeremie couldn't help me here, no he couldn't. The guy who was able to understand Einstein's' work was unable to assist me in my time of need...

"And then, Jeremie introduced me to you. When I first saw you, I thought, oh great. He's friends with a girl. A girl!!! But then I started to get to know you, Yumi, and I realized how strong you are. I admired you, Yumi. You amazed me in so many ways that if I had one penny, one penny for every time you amazed me, I would be swimming in gold. And now you're here, trying to help me when the other two failed, hoping that you could break through my tough exterior, unlike the others. Well, guess what, Yumi?" I leaned close to her. "You failed," I whispered. "You failed just like Odd did with his millions of apologies. You failed just like Jeremie did with his scientific methods of reasons. You failed just like me when I tried to grab my life back from that newbie's clutches..." I walked toward the door and opened it. "Now all you gotta do is grab a badge on the way out and you'll be in the club. Failing can sometimes lead to better things..."

Yumi was silent throughout my whole speech. I was wondering if she was still awake when I heard a sob... she was crying... At first I was happy, for I had succeeded in giving her a piece of my misery, but then my caring instinct kicked in and I wanted to go to her, hold her, comfort her, tell her how sorry I was and how much I loved her... But I didn't. I stood there with the door open and pretended that I hadn't noticed a thing. It was killing me inside, but I figured that if I was able to stand the pain that I was going through throughout the day, I would be able to stand a couple minutes more. Besides, she had _Lance_ to go run to if she wanted comforting... Then she looked at me with her tear-stained face, and I died of grief. No amount of... jealousy... could have hurt more than that look that she gave me.  
  
"You don't mean that," she said thickly, her voice quivering. "You don't mean one bit of it."  
  
"I know it's hard to take in, Yumi, but for once, you're wrong. I meant it. I meant every god DAMN WORD OF IT!" My voice was rising. "I'm tired of having these 'touching' talks with you guys, so I'm not going to do this anymore."  
  
"What have you done to the real Ulrich? Where is that guy that we all care about?" she cried.  
  
"THIS IS ME," I roared. "THIS IS ULRICH! I AM ULRICH! I HAVEN'T GONE ANYWHERE!!! I'M HERE! RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF YOU!!!" I paused as I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Just... just go away, Yumi... just go away and leave me alone... I'm not doing this anymore... I'm gone."  
  
"Why aren't you even caring? Don't you care that I'm crying? I'm trying to find out what's wrong so that I can help you, Ulrich! I care about you! Why are you pushing us away? We want to help you, Ulrich. Doesn't that mean anything to you at all?"  
  
"Damn it, Yumi, just get out. I don't want to talk anymore."  
  
"Fine. Just call me when you're back to being yourself so I can give back all the shit that you gave me just now." She got up and left the room without another word. I still hadn't said the one thing that I was dying to say (no, not that thing), so I yelled after her, "If you want some comforting, just go meet up with your boyfriend, Lancelot!"  
  
I slammed the door shut and collapsed on my bed, finally alone so that I could let my heart out. All my pain and grief was bottled up inside and I was unable to hold it in any longer. So I cried. I cried like I was a human water hose. As if I were a lawn sprinkler on high power. I had never cried as much as I did that night. Hell, I couldn't even remember the last time I cried like that. I didn't even know if I was crying the right way or not  
Then, I started yelling. I started swearing to no one. I was confused, angry, and hurt all at the same time. After that, I beat up my pillow, picturing Lance's face. Then I beat up the floor, the bed, the wall, and my head. I wanted my life to end. I hated being alive. I just wanted to collapse on the floor and never wake up.  
  
And it was all because of Yumi. Yes... it was all because of Yumi.

* * *

**.:/AN/:.** I know that Ulrich probably wasn't the new kid at school, but in this fic he is, and I felt that it was needed in this story for the reader, in this case you, to totally grasp what Ulrich is feeling right now. It surprised me, when I was looking over the story and reading it through, I also started to feel sorry for Ulrich! OMG! I didn't even think I could right somethng that harsh and sad and hurtful! Anyway, please, R&R! I might started asking for help and ideas if my plan doesn't work out... oops... 


	6. Yumi's Review

Chapter 6:  
  
Yumi's POV  
  
I went to my room and cried. It's been so long since I cried. It amazed me that Ulrich could hurt me that badly. When did all of this start? When did Ulrich change? How could I not see it, it happened right in front of my eyes! How stupid I was, to totally ignore him... but that new guy, Lance, was just so mind-blowing. He was able to blow me away with his tough looks and his silent attitude. How could he have taken Ulrich's place? Then I thought back to the first day I saw him...  
  
He was sitting in front of Ulrich, and it seemed as though Ulrich was just finishing up what he was saying when he turned and saw us. I loved the way he was able to know right when we were coming and from where. I wasn't sure how he could do that, but it was _so_ nice... Then Ulrich introduced us. Lance was staring at me, looking me up and down, when I felt drawn to him. I was unable to take my eyes off him. All of a sudden, I thought, I'll ask him about the tour around the school. See if he didn't already have it.  
  
He said he wanted me to show him. He said that in one word: you. And I felt like saying. Okie-dokie!  
  
Ulrich was getting jealous and started to say something, but I interrupted him. I accepted the offer and I didn't even notice that Ulrich was staring at me, trying to catch my eyes. But they were too busy soaking up Lance's image. His eyes, hair, clothes, body posture... I could've gone on forever.  
  
When I was showing Lance around, I found myself walking slower and talking slower and taking longer stops just to prolong the moment I had with him. I was surprised at myself. I had never gone this crazy since I fell in love with Ulrich and I was able to control that. At least... some of the time. It felt as if my heart was pounding like a cannon in the middle of a war when his hand slipped into mine. If that could happen from just a handholding session, then what would happen if we actually...  
  
I was ashamed of myself. I knew that Ulrich cared about me and I was pretty sure that I let him know that I cared about him, so why was I going gaga over this guy? Was I actually in love with him?

By that time, I was able to stem my tears. I quickly splashed cold water on my face to dry away my salty streaks that had formed along my cheeks. I dried off and headed over to Jeremie's dorm.  
  
When I knocked, Odd answered the door. Since Ulrich was locked up in their dorm, he was staying with Jeremie. Luckily, Ulrich tipped him off about the earplugs before he got mad at us, so he was all set for the night.  
  
"How was it," Odd asked, obviously concerned.  
  
"Horrible," was my answer. I slowly sank onto Jeremie's bed. "I really hurt him..."  
  
Jeremie was sitting in his chair, facing his desk, as he replied, "Well, I'm not surprised that he was hurt. I mean, you _were_ flirting with Lance at lunch. Ulrich was really surprised that you actually accepted Lance's offer. Or more like, demand."  
  
I was shocked at Jeremie's comment.  
  
"Are you accusing me?" I demanded.  
  
"No, I'm just stating the obvious," he said, unfazed by my edginess. He turned and faced me; his glasses sliding down his nose as he looked over them. "So. What happened?"  
  
So I told him everything. I had practically memorized Ulrich's hurtful speech and I had to control myself so that I didn't start crying again. When I finished, Jeremie was shaking his head.  
  
"Damn that son of a bitch," he muttered.  
  
I was, of course, confused. Truly this time. "What is it, Jeremie?"  
  
"Well, you see, we made the first move by accepting Lance without caring what Ulrich said. Then he saw us each taking a liking to him, so he thought that his life was being overwritten by Lance, so he got mad and locked himself up. But he made the mistake of missing his chance to get his life back when you came and tried to help. He is still mad because he can't handle his emotions. Ulrich is usually a straightforward guy: He either feels happy or bored. Hardly nothing else, and nothing in between. He doesn't usually get angry because he's a true warrior. To fight is in his blood, so there is no reason for him to feel hate to push him on. With all these feelings, he's getting overwhelmed and doesn't know what to do."  
  
"I can imagine, I'm starting to get overwhelmed just by hearing it," I said, starting to feel dizzy.  
  
"You're not gonna talk like this the rest of the time that I'm here, are you, Jeremie? Because if you are, I'll be happy to sleep in the garden shed."  
  
Jeremie smiled sadly. "Sorry, Odd. All I'm saying is that Ulrich needs us. He needs help, even though he's pushing us away."  
  
"What can we do?" Odd asked.  
  
"We'll think of something in the morning. It's getting late and we need to get to bed."  
  
"Right. Well, I'll leave you guys alone. G'nite you guys," I said, opening the door.  
  
"Night, Yumi," Odd said gently. Jeremie nodded. "Oh, and Yumi?" Jeremie said quickly. I turned back to him. "He'll need you the most." I was silent. 

I nodded my head to show that I understood and closed the door behind me, slowly walking past Ulrich's room as I headed to mine. All I could think of was our little 'talk' earlier and how he said that Lance took his life away. My only thought about it was this: Poor, poor Ulrich. What have I done?

* * *

**.:/AN/:.** I must say, I don't think that Jeremie is the cussing type. But he had to say it. He was the only one to understand it. If anyone was bothered by that, I'm sorry. My next chapter still needs a little more work, but, I swear, I will post once I think it's ready. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, and if you hadn't already reviewed, do so on your way out. Ciao!!!


	7. Resignation

Chapter 7: Resignation  
  
Ulrich's POV:  
  
I awoke the next morning, and the first thing I noticed was that my head hurt. When I opened my eyes I found out why. My head was on the floor while the rest of my body was sprawled on the bed. As I got up, I realized that this was first night in a while that I could sleep without having to put my ear plugs in.  
  
_Not to Self: When want to sleep without earplugs, lock Odd out of dorm._ Then I had a second thought._ Or put a really big cork in mouth._  
  
I laughed at that, but then I stopped. I could forget that note, because it was all over. To them it wasn't, but to me it was. And they probably would know it today.  
  
I headed to breakfast and realized that Odd, Jeremie, Yumi weren't up yet, but Lance was. I figured that I would test them. They wouldn't recognize it, but I knew that it would work out. I sat down at a table that was as far away from Lance as possible, but that was still in view of the door. This was my test: If the others sat down with Lance, they failed. If they sat with me, then... I hadn't figured that part out yet.  
  
Then I saw them. My heart lurched every time I saw Yumi, but it hurt even more since I couldn't go to her. And it hurt even more after this.  
  
Yumi was the first to act, and the first to fail. She had taken her seat next to Lance. What was left of my good mood vanished instantly. Then, Jeremie failed, as well. He sat down across from Lance after saying something to Odd.  
  
But to my surprise, and slight relief, Odd came and sat down across from me. He didn't look happy about it, but his face was determined.  
  
I was a bit confused, so I asked him in the rudest way possible.  
  
"What do you want, Odd?"

"To understand."

"I'm sorry, Odd, but if you want help with your homework, then you can go to Jeremie."

"Not school related."

"Then there's nothing to understand."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Talking back? I'd have to ask you the same thing."

"C'mon, Ulrich, give me a break! I know you well enough to know when there's something bothering you."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because we want to help you out, man!"

"Fine! You want to help me? Then tell me what you think of Lance. If you answer correctly, then we'll see if you can help. If not, then you can't."

"All I know is, Lance seems to like Yumi, but she sort of likes him back. Jeremie's unsure of what to think of him, due to his outer appearances, but Kiwi likes him, so he must be a good guy. Well, either that or he had some dog treats in his pocket, but, anyway. I don't know what to really think of him. He seems nice enough, but you know how that kind of stuff works out."

"Nice try, Odd. I know how the others feel. You don't need to lie to me. I can see it with my own eyes. They all like him, just like you."

"Well, it's just: we don't want to trade an old friend for a new guy. Or visa-versa. We all like Lance, and Lance seems to like you, but you don't seem to like him."  
  
"Look, Odd, I'm not going to befriend the guy that's taking over my life. I'm done with this. Tell Lance that he won. He can take Yumi out and celebrate if he wants, I don't care."

"Ulrich, it's not like that!"

"Sorry, Odd. But I don't care anymore. I'm not doing this anymore."

"So what _are_ you gonna do?"

"I'm quitting the gang."

"What!? You can't do that!"

"Well I am."

"What about Lyoko, huh? What about X.A.N.A? Aelita?"

"Jeremie and Yumi think that they can trust Lance with our secret."

"So that's it, huh? You're just gonna just drop us like a smelly sock?"

"Don't do this, Odd. I don't have anything against you guys. I'm just gonna go."

"I don't want to loose you, Ulrich. We're friends, you shouldn't be doing this."

"Sorry, Odd. You know, you were my very first friend when I came here."

"And I'm proud of it."

"You were my best bud."

"_Were_?"

"Now you can be his."  
  
We were silent.  
  
"So what now?"

"You can go back to the others. I can tell you want to."

"Okay, Ulrich, but if you need us, we're here for you. You should be able to tell us anything. Just... just so that you know..."

"And Odd?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell the others that..."

When I was done, I watched Odd go back to the others. Then I got up, dumped my tray in the garbage, and headed to the passage to the factory. When I got there, I grabbed my skateboard and took it back to my dorm. Then, I headed to the Principal's office. There was still one more thing I had to take care of.

* * *

**.:/AN/:.** Oooo, Ulrich is mad-d. He better not run into Sissi, or Ulrich will probably get suspended for the nasty thing he would've done... 'Hey, Sissi, I didn't know you were a cyclops! Ha, ha! I got one thing to say to you: depth perseption!!!' HAHAHAHA... breath, breath, you can do it, breath... I'm okay... 

Anyway, just want to let you know, this story that your reading is still on the run-way. The next chapters should get it off the ground, so stay tuned! I command you! Whoa, a _little_ to high on sugar, hee, hee, hee... okay, no more sugar packs...


	8. New Recruit

**.:/AN/:.** Thanks so so SO much for the reviews! I would take the time to thank everyone, but, since I got so many, it would need a whole chapter for itself. So, I'll just give you your chapter. Here you guys go!---

Chapter 8: New Recruit  
  
Odd's POV:

I was totally upset. I didn't want to go back to the others, but it was obvious to me that Ulrich wanted me to go. As I sat down next to Einstein, I saw Ulrich pick up his tray and dump his barely touched food. Then, he went outside, heading for the forest. I didn't even want to think about where he was going.  
  
"So... how'd it go?" asked Jeremie hesitantly. 

"No good," was my cheerless answer.

"What did he say?" Yumi inquired.

"He's quitting the gang."

"What?!" was their reply.

"That's what I said."

"But we need him to defeat X.A.N.A.!"

"I already pointed that out to him, Jer, but he said..."

"What?"

"He said that Lance can take his place in Lyoko just like he did here."

"But what about Ulrich?"

"He didn't say."

"Did I miss something here?" came Lance's voice, obviously confused.

I didn't feel like answering him.

I gave Jeremie that look that said, _No_, you _tell him_.

"Alright," he said, sighing. "Lance, can you keep a secret?"

* * *

We headed to the passage, so that we could show Lance everything. As we climbed down, I saw the empty space where Ulrich's skateboard used to be. A lump started to form in my throat. So, I was right.  
  
"As, huh, you can see," I said with difficulty to Lance, "This is where we... uh... grab, grab our transportation and head to the factory when we need to go." My voice was breaking. It sounded like I was about to cry. And truth be told, I was.  
  
I didn't want to do this, but since Jeremie and Yumi explained about X.A.N.A and Aelita and Lyoko, I was going to explain where we went and how we got there.  
  
"What we do is grab our boards, or Jeremie grabs his scooter, and we skate down the sewer. When we get to the ladder, we-we climb up it and we run across this bridge. The factory is rundown, so nobody even notices it when they-they drive by. We go in, and t-take the elevator down the shaft. The first floor is the supercomputer room. The second floor is the whole system stuff that Jeremie likes to see, and the third floor is the Scanner Room. That's where we go to get to Lyoko. Understand?"  
  
Lance simply nodded his head. He also looked at the empty space in the boards.  
  
"Is that space for me?" he asked.  
  
"No, that for... uh... guests. Yeah, guests. Hehe. Right," I said the first thing that came to mind. I didn't want Lance to take Ulrich's place. It was his. No one else's.  
  
"Oh... okay. Hey, where's Ulrich?"  
  
"He... couldn't-" I started to say, but Yumi interrupted.  
  
"He's not coming anymore," she said quietly.  
  
That got all of us quiet. I know, it surprised me, too. I didn't that anything could quiet me, but that's what her statement did.  
  
"Was it something I did?" he asked, the fact finally clicking.  
  
"Uh... nothing that you could've not done," I said, trying to reassure him.  
  
"I'm sorry," was his only answer. I could tell that he was starting to crack under all this sci-fi crud (I know it isn't sci-fi, but it's stuff that you wouldn't believe, right?). Obviously, Jeremie was able to see it, too.  
  
"Lance, just calm down! It's alright! Ulrich chose to quit because he couldn't handle it."  
  
"What makes you think that I can?"  
  
"Well, we got to know you, and we think that you'd make a great addition to the team. It'll be simple, you'll see."  
  
Those last two remarks were all Jeremie's. I didn't really want Lance to join. I didn't think it was 'simple'. And I knew that Ulrich could handle way more than this kind of stuff. I missed Ulrich. I wanted Ulrich back. And I knew that Yumi was feeling the same way.  
  
"Let's... let's just go to the factory, alright?" she choked out.  
  
We didn't grab our boards, since Lance didn't have one, so we walked down the tunnel. I glanced at Yumi and it seemed as though every step she took brought her closer to tears. I walked over to her and gently put my hand on her shoulder. It was shaking slightly.  
  
"It's gonna be okay, Yumi," I said, trying to comfort her.  
  
"You think so?" she asked, turning to me. Her face was tear stained and I knew that she had been crying for a long time without us noticing.  
  
"I know so." It was a lie. I didn't know what was going to happen, let alone know if it were gonna get better or worse, but I wanted to make her feel better.  
  
"Thanks, Odd. Surprisingly, that makes me feel better." I guess it worked.  
  
So, we got to the factory and headed for the Supercomputer Room.  
  
"Here, we will make you a character for Lyoko," Jeremie informed Lance. "That way, we can send you to Lyoko and you'll be able to defend yourself as well as Aelita."  
  
"While you do that, Yumi and I will head back to class," I put in. "She has history and I have gym. You and Einstein can stay here since you still have break time, and Jeremie doesn't go to gym. Don't worry, Jer, I'll cover for you."  
  
"Thanks, Odd. Now, I'll just pull up this window and you can choose what you look like..."  
  
Yumi and I stepped into the scanner. She looked uncomfortable.  
  
"What is it?" I asked.  
  
"What? Oh, it nothing really..."  
  
C'mon, you can tell me."  
  
"It's just... I don't think I was in my right mind when I said that Lance would make a great addition to the team. Now, every time I see him, I'll be reminded of Ulrich and how it was because of him that he's not here with us anymore."  
  
"Look, it wasn't Lance's fault. Ulrich was the one that decided to quit, Lance didn't make him."  
  
"I know that, it's just... never mind. Like I said, it's nothing. I'll get over it."  
  
At that point, the elevator reached the end.  
  
"I'll see you later, Odd." She ran ahead of me.  
  
"Yeah, see you later." I walked after her, allowing her to escape me. I'll ask her about it later.

* * *

**.:/AN/:.** Okay, I'll need your guys help with the next chapter. What I need to know is:

What damage do the Hornets, Cubes, and the other X.A.N.A. zombie guys do to the CL dudes?

Yumi's dorm is in a different building, right? I mean, the Girl's dorm is a different building than the Boy's dorm, right?

I really need to know the answers to the first question before I can post my next chapter. So, please R&R! Thanks!


	9. Time To Move On

**.:/AN/:.** Sorry, my train of thought was still boarding at the station... get it? Boarding at the station- aw, forget it. Anyway, here's the next chapter. But, before I forget, I'd like to thank the reviewers for their help. I totally forgot that I had Yumi run to her dorm (even though she didn't have one) and I still asked. Stupid, stupid stupid! Oh, you don't have to listen to me anymore, I'm just gonna keep calling myself stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid...---

* * *

Chapter 9: Time To Move On  
  
Jeremie's POV:  
  
"So, here's how it turns out: You are a silver, yellow and black ninja. Your weapons are the star spikes and knifes that you throw at the enemies, as well as a sword, which is on your back. You have the ability of transportation, which allows you to transfer from one tower in the region to another in the same or another region. You are able to take people with you and you can also do it outside of the tower. But remember: You can only do it once, so don't waste it, and it won't allow you to fight while your there. Understand?"  
  
Lance nodded his head. He was still staring at the computer screen which had a digital image of what he would look like in Lyoko.  
  
"Hey, Jeremie?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Can you explain the whole fighting part of Lyoko again?"  
  
Sure," I said, smiling. "See, X.A.N.A. has monsters that try to prevent us from deactivating a tower. They attack us by shooting lasers at us. The damage from the attacks are based on what kind of monster attacked. If it's a Hornet, it's attack can either do 10 LP of damage or it can poison you and wipe out all of your life points. That also goes with Roachsters, except they don't have the poison. The Crabs attack does 20 LP as well as the Cubes, but they can also freeze you. We're pretty sure that if you get frozen, then it wipes out your LP, but we may be wrong." I noticed Lance's confused face and sighed. "Basically, you don't want to get hit."  
  
"Okay, I think I've got it. Um... I think it's time for our next classes, right? I've got Math next, what about you?"  
  
"Me, too. Why don't we head out, now, huh? I just need to save this... okay, let's go."  
  
We got into the elevator and that's when I realized it.

_Crap! Ulrich also has Math next! Perfect, just perfect.  
_  
I must have made a face or something because Lance said, "Jeremie? Are you alright? You look sick..."  
  
"Huh? Oh, sorry, I just realized that I'm hungry and I left my snack in my dorm. I'll catch up with you, okay? I might as well see if I left something else there."  
  
We reached the exit and I stepped out in front of him.  
  
"See you!"  
  
I ran ahead and got to the Boys dorms. I was coming across Odd and Ulrich's dorm when I noticed that the door was open.  
  
And that Ulrich was in there.  
  
"Oh, sorry..." I muttered. I had my hand on the door, and was about to close it.  
  
Ulrich didn't even seem to notice I was there. He continued to pull things out of his drawer. Then I saw a number of boxes littering the floor...  
  
"You're moving?" I asked, confused.  
  
"Uh... _yeah_," he said, sounding like he thought I was stupid or something.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, I figure, if I leave the gang, then that means that I'm not a part of the gang anymore." He was talking as if he was explaining something very confusing to a little kid. "So, if I'm not a part of the group anymore, then I shouldn't be sharing a room with a person that still is a part of the gang." Then he gave up the nice-only-to-little-kids voice and stood up straight, facing me. "I'm transferring to another room, Jer, so I can get out of your hair completely. Got that?"  
  
"But... you don't need to..."  
  
"I've already confirmed it with the Principal. I'm moving to another room. I'll I need to do is pack my stuff and unload it in the other dorm. So, if you'll excuse me..." he went back to packing.  
  
I wasn't even gonna bother talking to him, so I continued on my way to my dorm. By the time I got there, I realized I hadn't even bothered to ask where he was transferring to._ He probably wouldn't have told me anyway,_ I said to myself. _He wouldn't want us to show up so that we could we could talk to him or something.  
_  
I went into my dorm to make sure that I wasn't missing anything that I needed. As far as I was concerned, I had everything I needed, so I headed back the way I came.  
  
When I got to Odd and Ulrich's dorm, the door was locked and I would've bet Aelita's life that Ulrich's stuff was absent. I slowly walked by Now-Only-Odd's dorm and headed to class.

I was coming up to the class just in time to see Ulrich and Lance staring each other down. I stopped, worried as to what was going through each others mind. Mostly, I was worried about Lance. Ulrich had said, not directly, that he dispised his very existence, so I thought that he would act on it.  
  
Then, I noticed something about Lance that made my heart stop. He didn't seem like the Lance that we supposedly got to know so well. It was like he was a zombie, his blank face and his lifeless stare. It scared me so much that my first thought was: _X.A.N.A_  
  
"Uh... Lance?" I asked, hesitant of interrupting this moment. "What are you doing?"  
  
Then it was like he just snapped out of it. He turned to look at me and that stare was gone. The Lance that I thought I knew was back and looking at me with a confused expression.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I was just talking to Ulrich," he said in a happy-go-lucky voice.  
  
"About what?" I said, trying not to sound as if I was accusing him.  
  
"Oh, just the next class. I asked him where he was sitting and he hasn't answered me yet."  
  
We both looked at him. My look was just to see what he was thinking while Lance was talking to me. Lance, it seemed, was giving him that look that meant, _agree with me, or else._  
  
Ulrich started at Lance, as if he wanted nothing more than to give him a knuckle sandwich. "Near the window... sit there and I'll send you through it," he replied in that low, dangerous tone that made my skin crawl.  
  
"Oh, thanks! I'll keep that in mind the next time I don't want to use the door," Lance replied coolly.  
  
I didn't like the turn this conversation was making so I tried to stop it in its tracks.  
  
"C'mon, Lance, we don't want to be late for class," I said, taking a step toward him. "You should go, too, Ulrich, or you'll get into a lot of trouble."  
  
"Sure, Jer. I'm so lucky to have a friend like you, _unlike someone I can think of_." He was speaking loudly, so that Ulrich could hear him as he walked away.  
  
When Ulrich was gone, I turned to Lance.  
  
"Why were you doing that?" I was shocked as well as angry. Usually, Lance seemed to be withdrawn from the world, almost as if he didn't exist. Now he was being loud and obnoxious. _Weird..._  
  
"Doing what? C'mon, Jer, we're going to be late." He started walking in the direction Ulrich went.  
  
I didn't want him to catch up to Ulrich and end up with a bloody nose, so I hurried after him.

* * *

"Class! Class, settle down, please! Just because there's five minutes left of class, doesn't mean you can act like a bunch of wild monkeys!"  
  
The class was doing a project in Science, so they took the time to goof off after a careless glance at the clock from Odd.  
  
Odd started to make monkey noises and Ulrich, who was still sitting next to him, started to scratch his underarm in monkey-fashion. It would have made you think that they were still best buds, but I knew that Ulrich was just goofing off, just like he would've if someone else was making the monkey noises. I started to feel guilty again...  
  
A beeping noise started to come from my backpack. I knew what that beeping meant. X.A.N.A had launched an attack and my computer had picked it up.  
  
I caught Odd's eye and dug out my cellphone. I paged him, so that I didn't draw attention to us, and he got the message. He started to turn around to tell Ulrich, then stopped himself. He seemed to have forgotten that Ulrich was no longer apart of the Kick-X.A.N.A.'s-Ass club.  
  
I turned away, unable to see the look on Odd's face. He looked so torn...  
  
I paged Yumi. 

Right when I was about to put my cell away, I remembered that we also gained a member after losing one. I paged Lance. He got it and gave me the thumb's up signal. Now, we could see what he could do...

* * *

**.:/AN/:.** Oooo, what's gonna happen? What did X.A.N.A do now? What's up with Lance? What's up with my questions? Tune in next time, on Code: Lyoko- One Door Opens As Another Door Closes by painin uranus!!!


	10. Time To Move On in Ulrich's POV

Chapter 10:  
  
Ulrich's POV:  
  
I was heading to the Principals Office to do the last thing that would cut me off from them. I was going to get transferred. It's stupid, I know. I'm taking it too hard, I know. But... I couldn't befriend the one person that was making my life miserable. At least, miserable for me. For Lance, my life was perfect. And it wasn't until he took it away that I realized it. I guess that whole 'don't miss it till it's gone' thing is true...  
  
"Hello, Ulrich. What can we do for you today?" the woman at the desk asked me when I walked in.  
  
"I need to talk to the Principal." I said it in a way that made it seem like I was serious, yet it wasn't an emergency.  
  
"Okay, dear. Go on in, he isn't seeing anyone. Just knock and walk in."  
  
"Thank you," I said without any emotion. That was how I was ever since Lance came. I was void of any emotion.  
  
I knocked on the door, just like she said, and walked in. I had been here many times, but to the Principal, I had only been a few. That whole 'rewinding time' thing really is good to have around...  
  
"Oh, hello, Ulrich! What brings you here?" the Principal asked me, looking up from his desk. He was probably writing a report or something.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Principal. I have a slight favor to ask of you."

"Yes, what is it?"  
  
"Could I get transferred to another dorm?"  
  
"Why would you want that? I thought you got along well with your dorm partner. I also believe that he is you best friend, am I right? Odd, was it?"  
  
"Yes sir. Look, sir, I can't tell you why, but I don't think that I can stay in the same room as him. It's sort of that thing when you need time away from him, if you know what I mean..."  
  
"Y'know, Ulrich, I'm not sure I believe in such a drastic move over a little annoyance. But, I understand that time away from your best friend would work miracles on the future friendship. I'm glad you took action before you both did something you would both regret later... I'll see what I can do. You're dismissed."  
  
"Actually, sir. I'd like to move right away, if that's possible. I really feel like I need to get away from Odd. Sometimes, y'know, he just doesn't seem to know what stop means."  
  
The Principal was quiet for a minute. Then he started writing on a piece of paper. He spoke, like he thought something fishy was up, but couldn't see what it was.  
  
"Ulrich, I want you to go out to the lady at the desk up front and hand her this," He handed me the piece of paper. "And say that you're transferring to this room. I suggest that you move quickly. Then tell her that I need to see Lance Halsted. Now, you're dismissed!  
  
"Thank you, sir. Have a nice day, sir."  
  
I ran out of that room, unable to stand the thought that Lance was going to take my place, yet again. I would have normally changed my mind on changing rooms and fought for one of the last things in my life that was still mine, but what was the point? So he got my room, so what? He got Yumi, Odd, Jeremie, Lyoko, and for all I knew, Sissi! I've seen her eyeing him in the halls, but the only slightly enjoyable thought about that was that she was going to loose to Yumi yet again. So, what was the point on fighting for a room?  
  
I got to Soon-To-Be-Only-Odd's room, pulling out boxes that I had stored in my closet from my move here. It was killing me yet again, but I knew that the pain would go away as soon as I moved on.  
  
I had almost got everything packed when I heard someone at my door. I glanced quickly at him/her while the person was looking down.  
  
It was Jeremie.  
  
"Oh, sorry..." he muttered to the floor. His hand was on my door. It looked like he was about to close it.  
  
I pretended that I didn't see him and kept pulling clothes out of my drawer. I could feel him glancing around the room and knew what was coming...  
  
"You're moving?" he asked, obviously puzzled.  
  
"Uh... yeah," I answered, trying to sound like he was being stupid.  
  
"Why?" he asked idiotically. I guess he was.  
  
I decided to play around with him a little bit. "Well, I figure, if I leave the gang, then that means that I'm not a part of the gang anymore." I was talking like I usually do to my little cousins when they come to visit. They always ask stupid questions so I pretend like the answers were very difficult. "So, if I'm not a part of the group anymore, then I shouldn't be sharing a room with a person that still is a part of the gang." I realized that he didn't understand very well, so I gave it up. I stood up straight and faced him; our eyes were locked onto each other. "I'm transferring to another room, Jer, so that I can get out of your hair completely. Got that?"  
  
He certainly got it, but he wasn't happy about it.  
  
"But... you don't need to..."  
  
"I've already confirmed it with the Principal. I'm moving to another room. All I need to do is pack my stuff and unload it in the other dorm. So, if you'll excuse me..." I turned away from him, allowing the staring contest to finish. I continued to pack. I was determined to get my stuff outta there so that I could leave all of this behind me.  
  
I heard Jeremie continue down the hall. I sighed inwardly. I was hurt yet again.  
  
I didn't know what was wrong with me. I wanted some sense knocked into me. Literally. But I knew that Jeremie wouldn't do that. All this time I've been pushing my friends away every time they tried to talk me out of this. And when I was going to take the first step and just push them away, they actually didn't bother to try. It was like they didn't care anymore.  
  
I guess I was kind of happy that he didn't ask where I was moving. That way, we didn't go into that stuff on how they were going to talk to me and try to find out what was wrong with me. I didn't like all this detective work. I wasn't some book that you could read to find out my problem. I also wasn't some case where a simple undercover could find the answer. I was much more complex than that. I didn't just let people walk into my mind and help me. They had to prove themselves worthy of it. They had to be the ones that could actually do it not just try and fail. I hate failure. That's why I was mad at myself for loosing my life to Lance...  
  
I finished packing. I did what the Principal said. I closed my door and locked it, not even bothering to stay around and wait for Jim and some other idiots to move my stuff, and headed to my next class. Math.  
  
I was walking down the deserted hall, buried deep in my thoughts when I could hear another person in the hall with me. I looked up and there was Lance, not even 5 feet away from me. We just stared at each other. It wasn't out of friendliness or curiosity. It was hatred. Pure hatred. Which somewhat surprised me, since all of the others said that Lance liked me, even though I didn't like him. There also seemed to be something off with him, but I couldn't put my finger on it  
  
"What do you want?" I asked in my low, husky voice that I only used for people I despised.  
  
"We need to talk," he replied, matching my gruff voice.  
  
"What's there to talk about?" I didn't know why he wanted to talk to me and I knew that I didn't want to talk to him, so I didn't want to go into this calmly.  
  
"Let's just say this: you're making this too easy. You'll regret these actions later."  
  
I didn't understand where he was going with this.  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked, anger rising inside of me.  
  
_There it goes again... this is getting old..._  
  
"You'll see soon enough," was all he said.  
  
I was about to hit him and threaten him to explain, but Jeremie decided to come back from his walk then.  
  
"Uh... Lance? What are you doing?" I heard Jeremie ask, hesitant on disturbing this little staring contest that Lance and I were having.  
  
Then it was like he just snapped out of it. I can't explain it any better than that. Maybe 'suddenly came to' would be good, but he wasn't unconscious.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I was just talking to Ulrich," he said happily, all of the hatred disappearing.  
  
"About what?" Jeremie asked, and I could tell he was trying not to sound suspicious.  
  
"Oh, just the next class. I asked him where he was sitting and he hasn't answered me yet."  
  
They both stared at me. I knew that Jeremie's wasn't saying anything, but I knew that Lance's was. He was telling me through that little gaze of his: _agree or you'll pay._  
  
I stared at him. He was lying. That sonofabitch was lying! I wanted to hit him. No, I felt like I needed to hit him.  
  
"You lying son of a bitch," I growled at him. Then I said louder for Jeremie, "Near the window... sit there and I'll send you through it." I hadn't lifted my dangerous voice.  
  
I don't know why I played along with that asshole, but I didn't understand what any of it meant, so I wasn't going to draw attention to myself.  
  
"Oh, thanks! I'll keep that in mind the next time I don't want to use the door," Lance replied coolly.  
  
We stared at each other again, and I knew that if I kept it up, I would have sent him through the walls of the building all the way to the Eiffel (?) Tower for him to hang from.  
  
Jeremie obviously realized the danger his new 'friend' was in, because he said, "C'mon, Lance, we don't want to be late for class." He took a step towards Lance, and then added, "You should go, too, Ulrich, or you'll get into a lot of trouble."  
  
I didn't know if he was threatening me or not, so I just continued my way to the Math classroom.  
  
I could hear faintly behind me Lance talking to Jeremie.  
  
"Sure, Jer, I'm so lucky to have a friend like you,_ unlike someone I can think of_!"  
  
I heard that last part, but I pretended that it hadn't affected me. But it did inside. I didn't like having my best friends hating me. And I didn't like hating them either. It felt wrong. It felt like it wasn't right at all. It felt demented.

Later---  
  
"Class! Class, settle down, please! Just because there's five minutes left of class, doesn't mean you can act like a bunch of wild monkeys!"  
  
The class was doing a project in Science, so they took the time to goof off after a careless glance at the clock from Odd.  
  
Odd started to make monkey noises, and I decided to join in. I started to scratch my underarm in my monkey-fashion. It didn't mean anything though. I would've done it even if Sissi were sitting there doing the monkey noises. Of course, I'd take a picture first, but I would've joined in, nonetheless.  
  
I noticed that Odd had stopped making noises and was digging in his pocket. He pulled out his cell and I could see the X.A.N.A. sign on it.  
  
_So, X.A.N.A. is taking advantage of this situation and launched an attack, huh? Well, Lance better be good enough to help them out. Better than me, at the least_, I thought, and then snorted._ 'Better than me'... yeah, right.  
_  
I could tell that Odd was going to turn to tell me, but I could guess he realized what he was doing because he stopped in the middle of it. I didn't know what his face looked like, but I could see that Jeremie, who was across from us, was ashamed. But I didn't care. It wasn't my problem anymore.  
  
I watched dully as Jeremie paged Yumi. He was about to put his cell away, and I was surprised. Then he took it again and paged Lance. I brushed it off and started to put my stuff away in my pack. The bell would ring soon.  
  
_He had just forgotten... no reason to get your hopes up like that... they'll just come crashing down... don't do it again..._ I told myself over and over.  
  
The bell rang and I watched as the gang walked quickly out of the classroom. And I silently wished them good luck.


	11. Time Goes By When

**.:/AN/:. Conscience:** You did it agan.

Did what? Hey, what are you doing here again?

**Conscience**: I knew you'd lie about being late on updating.

You're a stalker. That's all there is to it. Go away.

**Conscience**: Whose name is 'painin uranus'

Obviously, it should be you!

**Conscience**: Well, you stole it...

Right. Thanks for letting me know. I'll give it to you after I'm done with it.

**Conscience**: Thanks! Hey, aren't you going to tell them why you didn't update earlier?

Uhh...

**Conscience**: I guess your train of thought is still boarding at the station.

I already used that joke. Sorry, bucko.

**Conscience**: Fine. Either give them their next chapter or make like an egg and beat it.

That is so old. Here's the next chapter, for you guys that are just bored stiff. Later.

**Conscience**: Your name should now me P.U. because you stink!

I don't stink! You're just smelling yourself, which is really nasty... and FYI, buddy, my name _is_ P.U. I just don't like to use it.

**Conscience**: Whatever...

I'm gonna kill you...

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 11: Time Goes By When You're Having A Hard Time.**  
  
Ulrich's POV:  
  
And that's how it went on for a while. For some 'odd' reason, I was able to remember all of the attacks of X.A.N.A. even after we went back in time. The clones, the stalkers, the comas, the torturing viruses... It took me awhile to get use to it because being somewhere, and then suddenly being somewhere else was kind of hard to get used to. But I did and that's all that mattered.  
  
I saw Odd and Jeremie every once in awhile. Mostly just a 'hi' during passing in the halls or when we were 'lucky' enough to be assigned partners for projects. But that was it. I was just a face in the past. Lance was with them all the time. On the grounds, sitting near them in class, in their rooms... he was like _glued_ them. As for Yumi...  
  
Lance was always with her. No matter where she went. It was like he was her bodyguard or something. When she went to the bathroom, he was standing outside of it. When she was in her class, he would make sure that he was to check up on her every 10 minutes (he couldn't miss class for her, could he?). Yeah, he was being over-protective. I never got to see her without Lance. Every time I tried, Lance was able to get her away from me.  
  
And Sissi...  
  
She wouldn't get off my back. She kept coming up to me saying how Yumi deserted me, and how she would never do that to me. Just to get her to shut up, I joined her little cronies. Just like in my dream. I left my friends and joined her. All I could think afterwards was: now what?

----------------------

"So she came up to me and said she was sorry. Well, I told her: If you ever come near me with a glass of cranberry juice, I'll make sure that you can never face anyone again. She of course got the picture and went back to her little friends."  
  
Herb and Nick were nodding their heads and saying that she sure showed her. I was leaning against the brick column (you know, those things that... do that... thing? I can't explain it...), yawning and looking bored. It was times like this that I thought 'how could someone like her be popular?'  
  
I felt someone nudge me in the ribs and I glanced at Nick. He nodded pointedly at Sissi. I took the hint.  
  
"Yeah, good job, Sissi. Yeah, you never know who'd want to stain your shirt next," I said, faking an approving voice. "Way to go..." my voice drifted off, because at that moment, I saw Yumi.  
  
And she was alone.  
  
No Lance. No teachers. No Odd and Jeremie. No one.  
  
She looked the same as always, but I hadn't got much of a chance to see her fully. Now, I could. And she was beautiful. Stunning. Radiating loveliness. A goddess. Perfect.  
  
_Someone's testing me, I know it..._  
  
"Ulrich? Ulrich, yoo-hoo! Ulrich, dear, can you hear me? Hello-o-o."  
  
"Huh? What do you want, Sissi?"  
  
"Why are you staring at Yumi? I thought you would've figured out by now that she's over you! Don't go torturing yourself and pay attention to what I'm saying."  
  
I was about to scream at her, telling her that I didn't give a damn about her and that Yumi would always be in my heart and that no one could take her place, but, for once, she was right. Yumi didn't care about me anymore. She proved that by not speaking to me since that little 'talk' we had in my room. I still had nightmares from that day. Or was it night? I never knew...  
  
Yeah, I was torturing myself.  
  
"S-Sorry Sissi," I said calmly, even though it tasted like poison. Apologizing to Sissi was not high on my priority list, but, then again, neither was joining her little pathetic gang.  
  
"Wow. You must really be over with those guys to be saying sorry to-" Nick was cut off my Sissi whacking him over his head.  
  
"Jerk! I accept your apology, Ulrich. Now, as I was saying before I was _rudely_ interrupted, I said to my father, "this product is perfect for my rare kind of hair. It maintains my soft feel, yet allows my hair to breathe (I have no idea what that means.)." He says, "But, princess, I already bought a similar type of shampoo..."  
  
The bell rang, thankfully, and we headed to class. I never went to talk to her. There went one of my rare chances of actually talking to Yumi without Lance or anyone around and I didn't take it. I guess I failed that test...  
  
"What the hell is wrong with me?" I asked myself quietly. "Why am I acting this way? Why can't I handle it?"  
  
"Maybe you just need someone to talk to," a familiar voice said to me.  
  
I turned slightly and I saw Odd leaning on the drinking fountain.  
  
"What do you want?" I asked him, a little less rude than last time.  
  
"I've got to hurry with this, Lance will be back any moment. Look, Ulrich, there's something wrong here."  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked him. I was happy that I was finally talking to Odd after avoiding him for the longest time.  
  
"Lance-," was all he was able to say before Lance showed up.  
  
"Speak of the devil," I said under my breath.  
  
"Oh, uh, hey, Lance!" said a surprised Odd.  
  
"Hey. Is Ulrich bothering you?" he asked Odd.  
  
"Uh, no everything is just fine. Why do you ask?"  
  
"No reason," he replied, giving me a murderous glare. I put on my bored look and brushed it off easy.  
  
"Right... well, better get to class, then, eh?"  
  
"I'll be there in a second, Odd. Just give me a minute."  
  
With that, Odd shrugged, turned and walked off. Odd turned and gave me that look that meant 'I'm sorry, I'll talk to ya later.' I nodded to him and turned to head to my class. History.  
  
Lance grabbed my arm and made me face him. He was smiling. Or more like, smirking.  
  
"What do you want, Lance?" I asked him, my bored voice matching my face.  
  
"I want to just tell you this: say goodbye to them."  
  
Then he let go of me and headed after Odd. I pretended that I didn't hear him and continued my way to my class.  
  
Even though I kept my bored look on my face, I was still confused. What did Odd mean, there's something wrong with Lance? Yeah, he was being a little over-protective, but that's just how some people are, right? And what did Lance mean 'say goodbye to them'? What the hell was that all about?  
  
I sat in my chair near the window and got ready for class.  
  
_What's wrong with being over-protective of your friends?_  
  
The teacher called for order and began her (is their teacher a she? Do they even _have_ History?) speech on some war that took place before I was born.  
  
_Well, there was that one time where Lance was a little off in the halls, but he hated me. Of course he would be off, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy to hate someone... then again, neither am I..._  
  
The teacher began to pass out a piece of paper to everyone.  
  
_'Say goodbye to them'... what the hell did he mean? Who is 'them'?_  
  
I was broke from my thoughts when I saw four figures running out on the grounds. The gang.  
  
_X.A.N.A. must have launched an attack. Funny, nothing strange has happened here..._  
  
Right when I thought that, one of the kids started to sing. It was a guy. A guy in history was singing. And it sounded a lot like...  
  
"I love you! You love me! We're a happy family. With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you! Won't you say you love me, too! I love you..."  
  
The whole class started to crack up. I didn't get it. Everyone stopped laughing once the person that was sitting next to the kid that was singing went over to the teacher and slapped her.  
  
I jumped out of my chair and ran towards the door. I didn't want to be around to see the effect of that move.  
  
Down the hall, all of the doors that had classrooms behind them, had noise of some sort coming from them. I guess X.A.N.A. was able to get some device to hack into that one part of the mind that made you do things that you always wanted to do, or to do crazy things period. But, who would want to sing the Barney theme song in front of everyone? Idiots that still watch it.  
  
Just then, I saw Sissi run into one of the guys that were in the halls with me. She just ran up to him and gave him a big smooch on the lips and ran down the hall laughing and having what seemed to be a good time. The guy that she kissed didn't move for a while, and then he started to dance around going "la lala lala..." Yup, he was happy.  
  
I ran by him and found out it was Herb. Now, I knew that he was happy. I didn't know where I was going, but I did know that I wanted to get away from these crazy people. And I knew just the place.

* * *

**.:/AN/:.** Yeah, okay, I realize that this doesn't make any sense, but I swear, it will! You just gotta trust me! So, yeah... anyway, I'd like to celebrate because I just got my 50th review. WHOO-HOO!!!! I didn't even think I'd get that much! I'd like to thank all of them. Maybe in the next chapter I'll thank everyone. Or maybe the next chapter will be thanking everyone... don't understand? Oh, well. Well, someone said they liked the announcer thing, so here you go dude/dudette: What did Odd mean, "There is something wrong"? What did X.A.N.A. do to those poor innocent kids (phtt, yeah right.)? Where is Ulrich heading to? Will Yumi, Odd, Jeremie, and Lance be able to stop X.A.N.A.? What is the big picture anyway? What is with all the 'W' questions? Will I ever stop? Who knows? HHHEEELLLPPPP!!!! Oh, yeah: Tune in next time on One Door Opens As Another Door Closes by painin uranus. Now, if you'll exscuse me, I need to go beat up my conscience.


	12. Huh?

**.:/AN/:.** I'm sorry, this and the next chapter are kind of short. But it creates tention and I love tention. Hee, hee, hee! So, here you go! Oh, and about the whole thank you thing? I think I'll do that at the end of the whole story, which is coming up soon. Sorry! And, about that whole sequal thing... I'll have to think about it. And you'll have to tell me if I can do a sequal. Just wait and see. Here's your next chappie.---

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 12: Huh?**  
  
Yumi's POV:  
  
During History class, I glanced up from my doodle, yet again, to see Lance outside of the door, watching me. It made me feel very uncomfortable. Go figure. Sometimes I tricked myself and said, that if I were to look up, I'd see Ulrich there instead of Lance. But that made me hurt. Ulrich didn't care about us anymore. He didn't care about _me_ anymore.  
  
I remember walking down the hallway, finally able to get rid of Lance, and I saw him leaning against the brick pillar. He looked bored. Then I saw Sissi.  
  
_Huh, no wonder,_ I said to myself.  
  
Then, he looked at me. It was like he already knew I was there. And he brightened up. He looked happy to see me. But, like always, the look faded and it became dark and bored yet again. He started to talk to Sissi and basically pretended like I wasn't there.  
  
Yeah, I was just hurting myself thinking about him...  
  
Then my phone beeped. Someone was paging me. At first I thought it was Lance, saying, yet again, that he loved me. I made sure that I never said 'I love you' back. I would just nod at him and continue with my work. But this time...  
  
The X.A.N.A. symbol on my screen was enough for me to realize that it was either Odd or Jeremie. Most likely Jeremie.  
  
"Yes, Yumi, what is it?" my teacher asked me.  
  
I put down my waving hand and asked, "Can I please go to the bathroom? It's kind of urgent."

------------

I met up with Jeremie, Odd and... Lance outside on the school grounds. We automatically headed towards the factory without a word. We climbed down the hatch after making sure that we weren't being followed and got ourselves to the factory.  
  
"So, Jer, what is it this time?" Odd asked him as Jeremie settled down in his chair.  
  
"I'm not sure, but if it really is a X.A.N.A. attack, Aelita may be in danger.  
  
"Relax, Einstein, I'm sure your girlfriend's fine!" replied Odd.  
  
Jeremie blushed.  
  
"Score!" Odd cheered.  
  
"Right, whatever," I said, brushing off the matter. "C'mon, we got to get to Lyoko."  
  
Odd silently followed me over to the elevator, Lance walking behind.  
  
"You okay?" he asked me after a moment of silence.  
  
"What makes you think that I'm not?" I asked him, dodging the question.  
  
"Well, it's just... you don't seem to be yourself after Ulrich left."  
  
I could sense Lance tensing up at the mention of his name.  
  
I sighed. "In truth Odd, I haven't been myself. I haven't felt happy in a long time. I haven't eaten a lot for a while. I haven't really enjoyed life ever since he left."  
  
"Yumi, you just got to learn to move on. Yeah, so it's somewhat more fun when Ulrich was here, but until he decides to come back, we need to get over it."  
  
"Your right, Odd. I'm sorry for acting like this. I'll try to relax more, okay?"  
  
"Good," he replied, smiling.  
  
We had this whole conversation in front of Lance and it was like we didn't even notice him. It was nice to relax a little instead of being tense, since Lance is always around us, especially me.  
  
We reached the Scanner Room and stepped inside of the scanners and waited for Jeremie to send us in.  
  
"The activated tower is in the Polar Region. Aelita is heading there now. Be careful. There aren't any monsters yet, but there will so let's get as far as we can without them."  
  
"Right," I said under my breath.  
  
The scanners closed.  
  
"Scanner: Odd. Scanner: Yumi. Scanner: Lance. Transfer: Odd. Transfer: Yumi. Transfer: Lance. Virtualization!"  
  
We materialized and landed on a patch of ice, near a tunnel/cave that lead the way to Aelita and the tower.  
  
"Let's go," Lance said.  
  
He ran ahead and Odd and I followed shortly. We were running, until we reached the opening. There were a couple of crabs waiting for us.  
  
We were able to dodge the lasers, but it was too close for comfort.  
  
"Jeremie, why didn't you tell us we had company?" I asked him, kind of pissed at him.  
  
"Oh, sorry guys, I was watching out for Aelita. She's close to you. Once you dispose of the crabs, just take a left and you'll get to her no sweat."  
  
"Thanks, Jer," Odd said.  
  
"Too bad that we're not going to see her. At least, you guys won't," Lance said.  
  
We were quiet, then- 

"Huh?" Odd and I asked at the same time.

* * *

**.:/AN/:.** 'Huh?' is right. The next chapter won't help you much, but it's fun to read your frustrated e-mails and reviews. codelyoko2004 knows what I'm talkin about. Right? Well, stay tuned! 


	13. It's A Trap!

**.:/AN/:.** Well, here's your short chappie... don't hurt me, please! I just needed to add some drama into the story! Y'know, cliffies! Back off! You can't come near me! makes a cross with fingers Okay, before I totally go balistic, here's the next chapter. Review, or I won't continue giggle.

* * *

**Chapter 13: It's A Trap!**  
  
Jeremie's POV:  
  
"What? What is this..." I ran across something on one of my computer screens. I checked all of the computer systems... and gasped.  
  
"Guys! Look out! It's a trap!"

* * *

**.:/AN/:.** Oh, look! Another AN! In case you're wondering... I'm just bored. hehehe... I'm working on my next chapter right now, so don't do anything stupid. Here's where it really starts to get good. Later! Oh, and R&R! I haven't done that for a while. Whoops! Guess I just forgot! 


	14. Get Ulrich

**.:/AN/:. **I'm sorry to all of those that have e-mailed me. For some 'odd' reason, my account isn't working with me. So, sorry to codelyoko2004 and vampirehunterD-lover. I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible. Anyway, here's your next chapter. Also, I just wanted to say "YEY (?)! I GOT 60 REVIEWS! WHOO-HOO!!!

* * *

**Chapter 14: Get Ulrich  
**  
Yumi's POV:  
  
"Huh?" Odd and I asked at the same time.  
  
Before any of us could move, Jeremie's voice rang out around us.  
  
"Guys! Look out! It's a trap!"  
  
"Whadaya mean it's a- ugh!" Odd's sentence was cut off by Lances sword whacking him in the back.  
  
"Lance! What the _hell_ do think you're doing?!" he asked, once he got his breath back.  
  
But he was never answered. Lance delivered blow after blow on my feline friend.  
  
"80, 65, 40... Odd's life points are steadily decreasing! Yumi, you've got to help! X.A.N.A. reprogrammed the devirtualization program again! (Refer to the episode 'Routine')  
  
"I'd love to Jeremie, but I'm kind of stuck myself!" I gasped after dodging one of the crabs' lasers.  
  
"You mean we could die just like last time? Laser Arrow!" I heard Odd yell, and I heard Lance's cry of pain.  
  
"Yumi! We've got to get out of here and get to Aelita," he said coming over to me.  
  
"Glad to see your okay, Odd," I said to him.  
  
"C'mon, let's go. I don't think that Lance will stay that way forever."  
  
As we ran out from behind one of the icy covers, I saw Lance pinned to a wall of ice. It was from Odd's Laser Arrow.  
  
"Good thinking," I said to him. But he was right: he wouldn't stay that way for long.  
  
We headed the way Jeremie told us to and we were slowly loosing the crabs from behind us. We reached the other end without a word and saw Aelita.  
  
"Hey, Aelita, how are you?" Odd quickly asked. I guess he didn't want to be impolite, but we couldn't afford to chat. Aelita probably realized that.  
  
"I'm good. The tower is in that direction," she replied hastily, pointing to her left.  
  
"Right. Jeremie, is there company waiting for us?" I asked.  
  
"Uh... I'm sorry to sound negative, but you guys are screwed badly."  
  
"What do you mean, Jer?"  
  
"How many are there, Jeremie, please, tell us."  
  
"Well... there are seven crabs, two groups of roachers, five cubes and a couple hornets. Plus, Lance, if he's really working for X.A.N.A. and those other crabs that you didn't dispose of yet."  
  
"Oh, boy," I said as Odd whistled.  
  
"That's like... 19... 20... uh... twenty...four?" Odd guessed as he counted it up in his head."  
  
"Twenty-seven, Odd. Uh, Jeremie? How many life points do we have left?" I asked him worriedly.  
  
"Odd has 30 and you, Yumi, have 90. I guess you got hit by the crab after all."  
  
We were silent. Then, Odd turned to me.  
  
"Do you think we can pull it off?"  
  
I could tell he was serious, so I didn't bother joking around. Could we do it? Without devirtualizing ourselves in the process? Ulrich's words came to my mind: Calm down, Jeremie. Aelita takes these kinds of risks all the time and nothing's changed for us. We just have to be more careful, that's all.  
That's when I got my idea.  
  
"Jeremie? Get Ulrich."

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**.:/AN/:.** Oooo.... 'get Ulrich...' Do you think he'll come? codelyoko2004, you can't say anything, it'll ruin it. Hee, hee, hee! Tell me what you think! I just gotta know if you guys are following me! Oh, and the people that thought Lance was working for X.A.N.A. don't go thinking that you're right: you could be wrong. Anyway, R&R and I'll get back to ya guys later! Stupid peice of shit, that god damn account is screwed up! To hell with you! AAAHHHH!!!!


	15. One More Dream and One More Hero

**.:/AN/:. **Sorry everyone, but I don't have much time for a chat right now, so I'll just give you your chapter, okay? Here you go!

* * *

**Chapter 15: One More Dream And One More Hero  
**  
Ulrich's POV:  
  
_What is taking them so long?_ I asked myself. _What's going on in Lyoko?_ It was one of those times that I wished I was still apart of the group. But no. I chose to be an ass and cut myself off of the Kick-X.A.N.A.'s-Ass club.  
  
I was in the sewer. I know, it's not the best place to be, especially when I'm trying to avoid the X.A.N.A. attack, but it was the only place that I could think of. No one else knew about this place besides us.  
  
I sighed. It wasn't that big of a deal. The attack, I mean.  
  
I climbed up and took a look out. It was dark. I slid myself out of the hatch and started to walk towards the Dorms, making sure that I stayed out of sight as much as possible. Even if the attack made people go crazy didn't mean that I couldn't get into trouble. Jim would just jump at the chance to pin something on me, and I knew that it was way past curfew. This was just the perfect opportunity for him.  
  
I got to my new room without running into anyone, and opened the door. I didn't have a roommate so I didn't worry about knocking. I plopped down on my bed and went to sleep, not even bothering to change into my sleeping attire. I had had a busy day.

_--- I was angry. Real angry. Yumi, Odd and Jeremie were standing there in front of me. My three best friends: my two buds and my crush. And I turned away. Then there was Sissi and her zombie goons. I walked toward them, saying over my shoulder, "One door closes as another door opens." I took Sissi's hand and went through the open door, without looking back.  
  
As soon as I took a step outside of the door, I heard screams. I turned around just in time to see my friends falling into the darkness. I ran to them and tried to save them, but--_

__  
  
I awoke again, drenched in my sweat. I had that dream for a while now, but this was new. I hadn't seen the part where my friends disappeared into the darkness.  
  
I heard the noise that had woken me up again. It was my cell phone.  
  
I sighed. Was it Sissi again, asking me to help her with her shopping bags? I checked the time. It was after midnight. No, I guess not. Then, who was it?  
  
I picked up.  
  
"Hello?" I asked, kind of grumpy from a disrupted sleep.  
  
"Ulrich?" asked the tentative voice from the other end. It was the voice of the person I never thought I'd hear for a long time.  
  
"Yumi?"  
  
"Yes, Ulrich. Um, look, we're in trouble here."  
  
"What do you mean?" I was happy to hear from here again, but I knew that it wasn't the time to chat.  
  
"X.A.N.A. has a lot of monsters guarding the activated tower and he reactivated the malfunction for the de-virtualization program."  
  
"You mean that whole 'if you die, then you stay dead' thing that happened a while ago?"  
  
"Yes, Ulrich, that's exactly what I mean."  
  
"Wait a minute: you're still on Lyoko? What's taking so long and why are you taking the time to talk to me?"  
  
I heard a blast from the other end.  
  
"Shit, I didn't think they'd come _looking_ for us. Look, Ulrich, we need your help to defeat all of these guys. He put up a real defense and we can't break it without you."  
  
I was happy because she was asking for my help. She needed my help. I can cross that off my list of things to accomplish. But... then I remembered. Lance.  
  
"Why don't you get Lance to help you?" I asked in a cold voice, my happiness disappearing. "I'm sure he'll be glad to save everyone, just like before."  
  
"Oh, for crying out loud! Would you stop acting like a god damn ass?!" I heard her yell at me. I held the phone at an arms-length distance. "I'm asking for _you_, Ulrich! Not Lance! Now, get over yourself and get your fucking butt over here, NOW!"  
  
"Yumi, calm down," I heard Odd's voice say.  
  
"No! Ulrich, I'm tired of you torturing yourself. Okay, so we became Lance's friend. So what? It's not like we wanted to get rid of you! We just wanted to make the guy welcome. And he proved to be a great Lyoko fighter, if it weren't for that one problem that we have now."  
  
"What problem?" I interrupted, my voice suddenly serious. "Yumi, tell me what happened."  
  
"There we go," I heard her say in a much happier voice. "Lance is working for X.A.N.A."  
  
"Ha, I knew it! I _knew_ that there was something off about him!" I said, triumphant.  
  
"We don't know that for sure," came Yumi's voice. "That's just what we're assuming."  
  
"Oh. I'll be there soon. You guys just hold out for a little longer." I hung up without a good-bye. I ran out the door after grabbing my skateboard, not caring if I left it open nor what I was wearing. I just had to get to the factory and fast.  
  
I slipped out the door and ran quietly through the forest and got to the sewer hatch. I slid down the ladder, ignoring the steps. I made good time. And I was enjoying it. I would soon be back in Lyoko, fighting alongside my best friends. All the anger that I thought I had towards them vanished. They needed to survive this, or I'd never forgive myself.  
  
I got to the end of the sewer and took the ladder steps two at a time, leaving my board behind me. I got to the factory and slid down one of the ropes. I didn't waste time standing around catching my breath, so I stepped into the elevator and went down to the Scanner Room. I could say hi to Jeremie later. Speaking of later...  
  
I picked up my phone and dialed Jeremie. He answered. He sounded worried above all recognition.  
  
"Ulrich? Ulrich, please tell me that it's you!" I heard him cry.  
  
"Yeah, Jer, it's me. I'm heading to the Scanner Room. Think you can send me in?"  
  
"Is it possible that there's a question stupider than that one?" he replied.  
  
"Has Odd eaten his lunch today?"  
  
"Ha, ha, very funny."  
  
I stepped into the scanner. I didn't even realize that Jeremie must've added another scanner.  
  
"Okay, I'm ready. Send me in, Einstein."  
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
"Scanner: Ulrich. Transfer: Ulrich. Virtualization!"  
  
I landed with a soft thump in the Polar Region. I waited for the usual information that Jeremie usually gave us and decided to forgive him for forgetting to tell me where I was heading.  
  
"Okay, Ulrich, the others are to your left. You might run into two crabs in your way, but, knowing you, that won't be much of a problem."  
  
"Right. Now, what kind of 'army' are we talking about?" I asked as I started running in the direction Jeremie told me to.  
  
"X.A.N.A. managed to put together twenty-seven of his monsters: 9 Crabs, two groups of Roachers, five Cubes, and a couple of Hornets. Also, there's Lance."  
  
The fury that I had been containing towards him all day decided to flare up inside of me, which only caused me to run faster.  
  
"Where is he?" I asked him, my voice dangerously low.  
  
"Don't even think about it, Ulrich. Just focus on getting to the others."  
  
The others. That snapped me out of it.  
  
"What are their current life points?" I inquired, forgetting about Lance.  
  
"Yumi is down to 75, Aelita is untouched, and Odd is still at 30. I think he's finally taking this 'don't get shot' thing seriously."  
  
"Right. Have the others destroyed any of the monsters, yet?"  
  
"Yeah. Odd took care of three of the Roachers, Yumi put a couple of Cubes out of commission and they both destroyed all of the Hornets."  
  
"Where is Aelita?"  
  
"She created a little cover for herself. She's had a couple of close calls, but she's been able to maintain a strong barrier for her protection. Anything else you want to know?"  
  
"You mean, stuff that you're actually gonna tell me?" I retorted.  
  
"Even if Lance is working for X.A.N.A., it doesn't mean that he deserves to die, Ulrich."  
  
"Whatever," I mumbled. I knew he was right, but that didn't mean I didn't want to do it.  
  
I reached the Crabs before I reached Odd, Yumi and Aelita. Without slowing down, I jumped on top of one and tried to catch the others attention.  
  
"Hey, you! Yeah, the ugly piece of junk that doesn't even deserve a spot under my bed! Come and get me!"  
  
Just when it shot its laser at me, I jumped over onto its back and stabbed the X.A.N.A. symbol before jumping away again. The Crabs laser destroyed its buddy and they both lay in a crumpled heap on the snowy ground.  
  
Without a word to Jeremie or myself, I started up my chase again. But inside, I was celebrating. This was what I thought missed the most about the whole Lyoko deal. Destroying monsters like it was a dance.  
  
But that was before I met up with Yumi, Odd and Aelita.  
  
Odd was squaring off with a couple of Cubes (get it? I didn't even realize the pun till now!), while Aelita was remaking her shelter. Every once in a while, she would create a cover for him, but otherwise, she stayed out of sight. And Yumi...  
  
Yumi was taking care of the Crabs and Roachers. She was fighting like a true warrior and was as agile as a cat. But, she wasn't able to keep her eyes on all of her opponents.  
  
Before the Crab could strike or Yumi could even turn around, I ran forward and took care of it easily.  
  
"IMPACT!" Now the game really started.

* * *

**.:/AN/:.** I'm kind of in a hurry, I did this before the whole tour thing for my grandparents. Hope you liked it, the next chapter is on its way, so DON'T HURT ME!. R&R and e-mail me please! You can never have too many friends! Later!


	16. Lance

**.:/AN/:. **Hello! I'm back, again! Stop groaning! It's not good for your throat. At least, that's what my doctor says, since I was doing it since the begining of time. Or more like, school. Groan! I bet you're thinking, "Right.... whatever... are we sure that this person shouldn't be in a padded cell with IV's dripping tranqlizers?" Sorry to say this, but, yeah, I'm not there. THough I have heard that those rooms are _very _comfy. Anyway, you guys were here to read the next chapter, so I guess I should stop stalling. Here you go!

* * *

**Chapter 16: Lance**  
  
Yumi's POV:  
  
I was fighting off four Roachers and Crabs. A lot? I know. Too much? As if. At least... that's what I thought.  
  
I had defeated what I thought was the last Roacher, but before I could turn around, I heard the voice that was always able to make my heart race.  
  
"IMPACT!"  
  
I completed my 180-degree turn and found Ulrich posed in his fighting stance. He slowly brought himself up from his kneeling position as I walked quickly over to him. At first, I wanted to hug him, for I had missed his comforting embrace. Then, I wanted to smack him, just to see the look on his face. _Then,_ I wanted to shout at him, yelling out how horrible he made me feel and how I regretted every cursed day that he wasn't with us. But, I decided on doing something that I had found very easy to do for a while, now.  
  
"It's about frikin' time you decided to show up!" I screamed frantically, hiding my relief of his appearance.  
  
"Hey, your lucky I even _did_ show up!" he yelled back. I would've been hurt, but I knew that he didn't mean it. That's what I thought, at least.  
  
We stood there facing each other, ignoring the raging battle around us. I had to really fight to not loose myself in his deep, chocolate brown eyes... but they were luring me, taunting me... it was a difficult thing to fight. Luckily for me, Odd's cry tore me away from our staring contest.  
  
"Odd is down to 25 life points! Will you two stop staring at each other and help him out, or will he have to do it all on his own and kill himself in the process?!" Jeremie's voice rang throughout Lyoko.  
  
"Right," Ulrich and I said in unison.  
  
"So, how many do we have left?" Ulrich asked me, taking command like usual.  
  
"There is now a total of six..." an explosion came from Odd's direction. "..._five_ Crabs left and a couple of Cubes at least," I said, correcting myself.  
  
"That's all?" he asked me, looking confused.  
  
"Yeah," I said nodding. "Odd took care of most of the Cubes, the Hornets are history, and I destroyed all of the Roachers."  
  
"I think you missed some," he said, looking over my shoulder.  
  
I turned around to see four Roachers standing on the snowy ground.  
  
"But I could've sworn that I..." I started to say, but was cut off by Ulrich.  
  
"I'll take care of these guys. You help Odd with the Crabs, 'kay? Don't look at me like that, it's been awhile, and I need some action. Go on!" He nudged me out of the way. I would've stayed, but another cry from Odd was enough for me.  
  
"You're down to 15, Odd. I guess I spoke too soon about you taking this seriously."  
  
"Ha, ha, very funny."  
  
"Odd, duck!" I yelled, running towards him.  
  
Without a question (surprise, surprise), Odd jumped out of the way as a laser from one of the Crabs shot the area he was just seconds ago occupying.  
  
"Thanks, Yumi! Oh, hey, Ulrich! How nice of you do join us, today!" he said in a friendly manner while shooting some arrows at the offending Crab.  
  
"Actually," Ulrich yelled back, "It's night time, now!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, you guys were taking so damn long, so I decided to come and help!"  
  
"Oh, I was wondering what the hell you were doing here!" He turned to me. "So, you were able to get him to come, eh?" he stated so that only I could hear.  
  
"Yeah, he just couldn't stay away," I replied with a smile.  
  
There were a lot of explosions coming from Ulrich's area, but I didn't get a chance to even glance in his direction. Odd and I were busying ourselves with the rest of the Crabs. I could only pray that he was the one causing the explosions, not the other way around.  
  
In a short matter of time, we were able to destroy all of the monsters X.A.N.A. sent out for us. Odd got two of the Crabs and was at a grand total of 10 life points. I got the other three and managed to stay at 65 life points. Ulrich, however, was amazing: he took out the rest of the Roachers and the Cubes and was able to stay at 85 life points. Pretty good for someone who was 'supposedly' a 'little rusty'.  
  
"Wow, Ulrich, you haven't changed have you?" Odd spoke in a casual tone.  
  
"Nor have you, Odd. Still playing the target, I see?"  
  
"Well, you'd have to blame my good looks and charm."  
  
"So is that how you get yourself through life? Y'know, Odd, it's not a good idea to get into bad habits, like lying."  
  
"You shouldn't be talking, Ulrich, you've managed to lie ever since you've met Yumi. I mean, you even told me..." his sentence was cut off my Ulrich's hand. It looked like Odd one that little witty contest.  
  
"Will you shut it, Odd? You're like one of those drive-in boxes: you try to serve, but you do it the wrong way."  
  
"Hee, hee. Sorry, I didn't notice that she was there."  
  
"Uh, guys, I'd hate to disrupt this _very_ interesting conversation you two seem to be having, but shouldn't we tell Aelita that she can come out, now?" I asked them, trying desperately to fight off my burning cheeks.  
  
"Oops," they both said.  
  
I sighed. I walked over to the snowy mound that I knew Aelita was hiding under. I knocked softly.  
  
"Uh, Aelita?" I asked quietly. "You came come out, now. It's over."  
  
"It is?" she said, the mound disappearing into data. "Thank _god_! I thought that it would go on for hours!" She paused and stared at me funny. "Yumi? Why is your face all red?"  
  
I knew my cheeks were really burning, now. And I failed to hide it.  
  
"Um... I'll tell you later," I mumbled softly. "Uh, why don't you head over to the tower now, so that we can start over?" I asked her a little louder. She started to nod, but-  
  
"I'm afraid that I cannot allow that," a mysterious, yet familiar voice said. It was coming from the direction of the activated tower.  
  
We all simultaneously turned slowly to the tower. A tall figure stood in front, wearing a black, yellow, and silver ninja suit, with a long sword tied to its back. Its belt was lined with star-spikes and knifes, perfect for throwing at enemies. Its grass-like silver hair ruffled in the virtual wind.  
  
"Lance," we all said, voiced with our own variety of fury.

* * *

**.:/AN/:.** Okay, Ulrich is mad at Lance because he practically stole his life from him, Yumi is probably mad at him because he manipulated her, Jeremie is mad because he put Aelita in danger and all that fluffy crap, Odd is mad because he never got his signed CD, and Aelita is mad because she feels left out of all the fury! It all works! Sorry... but it _is _funny! So, right. R&R on your way out. I'm sorry to say, this story is rapidly coming to an end. I'm begining to wish that I had waited longer between updates, but prolonging the enevitable is pointless, I guess. I'm thinking up some ideas that I've had, which could have some potential. By the way, codelyoko2004, you haven't gotten back to me about those ideas I gave you. I need to know what you think! Later, my air that I need to breath! You're what makes me go on! Cheezy? Sorry.


	17. Taking Turns Part 1: First Contestant

**.:/AN/:.** I know, you're probably all mad at me for taking so long to update, but I'm so sorry! I actaully had a writers block! Amazing, huh? Call the Media! But, seriously, I did. I knew what was going to happen, but I just couldn't get there, y'konw? Also, my grandparents are leaving today, and (surprise, surprise) I'm kind of sad. Even though I hate, hate, HATE, their hour long speeches about guys that died bofore I was even born and didn't actually **do** anything important (that would be my grampa's topic), and about how controlling myself will make others want to be around me more and that I should try to be nice to my annoying younger brothers (that's my grandma's topic), they were loads of fun to hang out with. At least, when they weren't talking. Hee, hee, hee... So, anyway, I just wanted to say that I GOT MY 100th REVIEW!!! WHOO-HOO!!! Go, me! Go, me! It's my birthday! It's my birthday! YEAH! Okay, here's your next chapter. I think that it's gonna be a three parter, but I could be wrong. I also think that there is only going to be a couple more chapters after this trilogy, so... yeah. Thanks to all that want me to keep going, and I'll answer some questions people had at the end, oaky? Here you go!---

* * *

**Chapter 17: Taking Turns- First Contestant**

Yumi's POV:

Anger unlike anything I had ever imagined set fire to my insides. Ever since I found out that he worked for X.A.N.A., every time I even _thought_ of Lance, I felt like puking. Odd was glaring daggers at him, which surprised me. He never actually got mad enough to _glare_ (has anyone seen Odd glare at anyone? I mean, as in a hate filled glare? Anyone?) at someone, let alone glaring like _that_. Ulrich looked like he would've liked nothing more than to beat the shit out of him, if it weren't for the fact that we couldn't kill him. I mean, sure, we could've done it, but that fact still remained: We didn't know if he was working for X.A.N.A. by control or will.

"So... who'll take 'm?" Odd asked, still able to keep that light tone in his voice.

"I'll do it," I replied quietly, not removing my gaze from the lax ninja.

"Uh... Yumi, I was kidding. You can't take him on alone! You'll get creamed!" I could tell Odd was starting to regret his previous comment.

"Too bad. I'll beat him to a pulp," I could hear that familiar tone in my voice that I heard only when Ulrich was pissed. I guess it rubbed off...

"Don't do it yet, Yumi," Jeremie said. "Let's find out what X.A.N.A. is up to first, while his associate is still able to speak."

"I'll do it," Ulrich said, hiding the fury in his voice with a pleasant tone. "Hey, you bastard! What the hell is wrong with you? Did you get fucked up in the head? Or is that your ass, I can't really tell..." his voice trailed off while he brought up one of his hands that made a rude gesture with his middle finger. He put it against his head, like he would have if it was his pointer finger and he was trying to think (the key word is _'trying'_ people).

Odd and I were stunned. I was because of his choice in vocabulary and his rude hand signal, and Odd because... Odd is odd (for some _odd_ reason!).

"Ulrich, where did you get that foul mouth?" I half asked, half lectured him. (I told you there would be cussing!)

"I got it after practicing behind his back, trying to think up the worst names possible that could describe him," he said, keeping his pleasant tone. "I couldn't _quite_ find the right one, but there were a few that came close. I'll tell you them later, if you want. Well, mashed-peas-for-brains? I need an answer, or I might get a _little_ _impatient_." At this, he grasped the handle on his sword.

Lance was unfazed by his comments and gestures.

"Nothing is wrong, Ulrich, I've just seen the light. Your fight against X.A.N.A. is pointless. There is no way you can win. That 'army' as you say, was only a piece of what X.A.N.A. has in store for you. I suggest that you take the opportunity that I have so graciously given you to surrender before you are all killed." Lance was talking as if the whole thing bored him. He showed no signs of worry for standing in the way of three really pissed teens and didn't seem to be paying attention to what he was saying. It was like he was a robot.

"Nothing doing," Ulrich replied, his pleasant tone disappearing. "Sorry, Lancey-boy, but your 'master', I guess you could say, will have to fight and loose his own battles. Now, why don't you run along and play with the little monsters? I'm sure that you will be able to entertain yourselves while your bastard-of-a-master and we have some fun of our own (I don't think that I put that right, but, oh well)."

While they were having this little talk, Odd and I were commenting our thoughts on Lance.

"I think that he's being controlled by X.A.N.A." Odd stated, listening to Lance talk. "Can't you tell? When he talks, it's like he's not really speaking, he's just being used or something. I can just feel it..."

I listened in on the conversation.

"Yeah, you're right..." (for once)

I paused as I saw Ulrich take a step forward after speaking, but then he seemed to realize that I said that I would take him. I didn't want to have to remind him, so I guess I was thankful that he remembered. I could tell that he really wanted to beat him, but I really was afraid that he wouldn't stop at that.

He seemed to be struggling with himself, I could hear it in his voice when he forced out, "Go ahead, Yumi, take 'm."

He turned around and took to leaning against the ice wall that surrounded the activated tower's location. His face was emotionless, which I could tell he had a good deal of practice with. I bet he would've slept, if he didn't want to miss the chance to jump in when he needed to and intervene with our match. Well, with _him_, you never know...

"Get ready, Lance," I stated menacenly. "You're going to wish that you never even met me, or got on my bad side."

"Quite the opposite, actually. I think I'm going to be pleased by my actions. It'll make this match more fun."

My rage flared up at this comment and I quickly drew out my fans and lunged forward. He also drew out his sword, matching my swiftness, and charged at me. Right when we would've collided, I ducked under his blow, feeling it graze over my head, and threw my fan into his gut a fast as I could've managed. As soon as I could, I side-stepped to my left, allowing Lance to run ahead. But, he didn't: he somehow managed to dodge my attack and was able to place himself behind me.

_Man, he's fast_, I thought.

I jumped quickly out of the way, narrowly missing the swift movement from the sword that was aimed at my head. I caught my fan as it came flying back around from my previous shot and waited for my opportunity to strike Lance and have it connect with him.

_Then again, so am I_, I said in my mind with a smirk. But, I was wrong.

I never really got my chance. Lance was fast, so the battle was going quick. _Too_ quick, for my liking and ability. His attacks were swift and I was barely able to block them with my fan. I guessed that I wouldn't be able to throw them anytime soon.

Sometime during the fight, he brought out his star-spiked objects and knives and started throwing them at me. I felt a few barely miss, but others missed by miles. I was starting to wonder if his aim was all that good, but I would soon find out why he did this. (I'm not gonna tell you right now! **:P**)

Soon, it felt like Lance was turning the nob on the fight up. He was gradually dodging faster and his attacks were steadily getting harder to block. More and more of his attacks were connecting and less and less of his attacks were getting blocked with my fan (uh... did that make sense...?)

I was thrown to the ground once again, and it seemed like I managed to get there a lot.

"You've only got 15 life points left, Yumi!" came Jeremie's frantic voice. "If you get hit again, you'll be as good as dead!! Odd, Ulrich, you've got to help Yumi! It could be all over for her soon..."

I couldn't tell if they answered Jeremie's plea to save me, but at that moment I didn't care. I fuitily tried to protect myself from his oncoming attack, but it was no use. I couldn't get out of the way of his attack. It was hopeless. Or... so I thought.

Lance grinned widely and raised his sword above his head.

"It was nice while it lasted, Yumi. I wish that it didn't have to end this way... but, on the other hand, it wouldn't be any fun any other way! We'll see if your friends put up a more... _challenging_ fight. Good-bye."

I closed my eyes, waiting for the familiar feeling of getting de-virtualized, as I heard Lance bring his sword upon me. It didn't come.

_But, how...?_

I slowly opened my eyes. And what did I see before me? (C'mon idiots, what do you think?) You're right (I think...). Ulrich stood over me, his sword unsheathed and blocking Lance's attack with ease.

"Okay, Lancelot, you've had your fun. Now, you're going down." Ulrich swung his sword, making a wide circle in the air, pushing Lance's sword away.

Lance's eyes widened for a second, but soon his expression was back to bored and he started to cirlce around Ulrich. Ulrich stayed with him, keeping himself between Lance and me.

I watched as Ulrich blocked another one of Lance's swings with ease. In a way, it scared me how simple Ulrich made it look. I couldn't move away, my eyes or body, until I felt a familiar grasp underneath my underarm.

"C'mon," I heard Odd whisper. "Let's give them some room. I have a feeling that this fight will not care if we're in the way or not. This way." He started to run a little, away from the fight just as Ulrich jumped out of the way as four of the star-spikes (I really don't know if that's what they're called) flew past us.

We ran over to a snowy dome that was not far from the attack, yet wasn't right in the middle of it, and I knew at once who was under it.

"Aelita," Odd whispered against the dome. "Aelita, it's us. Open up."

"Why are we whispering?" I whispered to him.

"Do you want Lance to know where we're hiding?" he asked me. "Do you think it's a good idea to _yell_ for Aelita to open up her little cover so that we could hide in there instead of letting Lance know where we are? I mean, that is what we're doing, but, since we're whispering, Lance won't be able to hear us. Understand?"

"Aelita!" I whispered while knocking on the dome quietly. "Open up, please!"

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

The dome started to open slightly, and you could see a pair of eyes that belonged to no one other than Aelita.

"Oh, Odd! Yumi! Give me a minute, then you can come in."

The dome started to expand outwards so that there would be enough room for everyone.

"There! Now, where is Ulrich?" she asked, ignoring Lance's existance completely. She moved aside and we slid inside of the enclosure.

"Lance and Ulrich are duking it out right now," Odd replied in his odd way, trying to make himself comfortable as the dome closed once again.

The dome was big enough for each of us to sit comfortably in a circle and had enough head room so that we didn't have to hunch. It was nice, but I really wanted to know what was going on with Ulrich's battle.

"Aelita, can you please make a crack facing in that direction?" I asked pointing to the left.

She didn't ask any questions, but complied to my request. I leaned over and looked through the hole, but was unable to spot my crush.

"Damn," I muttered. "I can't see anything."

"Don't worry, Yumi!" Odd said cheerfully. "I'm sure with all the rage Ulrich has inside of him, he'll be fine! He's probably toying with Lance just to piss him off. I can just see his face... One black eye, a bleeding lip, bruises on his cheeks, both pairs (meaning his butt, too), and matted hair..." Odd went on, but I wasn't listening anymore. I was just praying that Ulrich was alright.

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**.:/AN/:.** I think you guys'll know what the next chapters are gonna be called, huh? So, here are some questions that some people had: 

**Q: **Why was Aelita angry about being left out of the anger and why do you have prolonged conversations with my conscience?

**A:** What I meant was that Aelita was angry because everyone else was angry and she didn't want to be left out and be the only one that wasn't angry. Understand? And about the 'prolonged conversations with my conscience... it's just for fun. I like being goofy, if you haven't noticed yet. Now, here's a question of my own: What did you mean, 'get over yourself?' Because if it means what I think it means, then that was mean. I was just goofing around and I wanted to make some people laugh, okay? If you have a problem with that, then jsut stop reading my AN, okay? And if you mean something else, then I'm sorry I asumed.

**C (as in Comment):** Put some romance between Yumi and Ulrich. In the summary, it says YxU

**A:** Yes, it says YxU, but I meant that I'm putting the romance at the end. I mean, we've basically taken a ride with Ulrich and Yumi through jealosy, action, and then the aftermath. With, of course a little of this, a little of that. So, don't worry there will be romance, just not in the middle of a fight between Lance and Ulrich, okay? You've hung on this long, you'll be surprised with the ending (I hope).

**Q:** Uh... this guy/gal had a lot of questions, his/her name is **sea-tiger170**, so...

**A:** I'm just gonna say this... you'll see! Ha, ha! Gotcha!

There probably were more questions that I probably didn't answer, so if you still have a question that hasn't been answered yet, then just e-mail me at Okay? Later everyone, the next chapter is one the way, I promise! Thanks agian! Phew, I'm glad I did that before Conscience shows up...

**Conscience: **Boo!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! ::breaths:: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Later! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...


	18. Taking Turns Part 2: Second Contestant

**.:/AN/:.** Phew, this is finally done... sorry if your not pleased. I completely understand. I mean, you _have_ been waiting all this time, just for a short chappie, but hey: Life sucks, then ya die. Personally, I hated writing this chapter. 1) because I can't write good action sections and 2) this was the first chapter that I got writers block from. It sucks! Oh and 3) because it's so short. Sorry, people, but cliffies are what keep you reading, right? Well, enough of my babble, I've got a new chapter to write and you've got a new chapter to read. R&R peeps!

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Chapter 18: Taking Turns- Second Contestant 

Ulrich's POV:

Once again, Lance's attack breezed by my front as I dodged another one of his attempted lunges at my chest.

"You're getting slow, Lancelot," I mocked. "My grandmother could have enough time to move out of the way before you'd hit her."

He growled in frustration. He had not managed to hit me once since I saved Yumi. Either he wasn't as good as he seemed and was lucky, or I'm better than him... and Yumi. I wanted to stick to the first, but my macho side was boasting and I couldn't help but feel that the latter was the correct one.

"I'd have to say the same thing to you," he said as he narrowly avoided my swift kick at his side.

The thing was, I didn't want to knock him out so quickly so that he didn't suffer like I did. It would've been pointless, knocking him out before he could even register that I was attacking him.

"How could my friends have thought that you would be a good Lyoko fighter?" I wondered out loud, goading him into attacking more recklessly.

"Maybe I'm going easy on you," he suggested mockingly, trying to hit me from my open side, but failing. "Speaking of 'your friends', where are they now? Aren't they supposed to be supporting you?"

"They're probably taking cover to make sure that they don't catch your stupidity," I said, shrugging it off, giving him a right hook while my other hand held my sword off to the side. He managed to get away from my flying fist, giving me an unreadable look.

"Really?" he questioned in that way that made it seem like he knew something that I didn't. Unfortunately for me, I have a very curious personality. We stopped fighting.

"Okay, what are you not telling me?" I asked as I sighed in exasperation, pretending to be bored and just playing along. I would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he caught my interest, no matter how curious my inner-self was.

"Well, if they were taking cover, they would still be close in case you needed assistance," he said in a reasonable tone. "So, where are they?"

That made me stop, amazingly. I looked around and my eyes only met the emptiness of the deserted Polar Region. A small, microscopic part of myself was starting to believe him. Was he right? There was no sign of my friends, but that might just be because it seemed like we moved away from the tower. Were my friends really cowards?

I turned to Lance, but was only met his fist connecting to my jaw. I flew back a couple feet from the impact, but Lance was not through. He took his sword and jumped over me, landing with a thump, with his sword going through my middle and his legs on either side of my body. I was on the ground and he was on his feet, but apparently that still wasn't enough for him. He took his feet and started to kick every part of my body that he could get to. Thank god that we were virtual. I wouldn't want to make a mess...

That minuscule piece of me that actually believed Lance disappeared as soon as it came. I understood what he did, but I was furious with myself for actually doubting my friends. I should've known that they were watching from wherever they were and were ready to help me when I needed it.

I laughed quietly, with Lance still standing over me, having not yet withdrawn his sword from my stomach.

"I get why you did that," I said more to myself than him. "You wanted to distract me with my one weakness, my fear of being rejected and used, so that you could get the upper hand. The advantage. You knew it wasn't true as well. You knew my friends would stick by me no matter how dire the situation may be, no matter what the cost. It was stupid for me to fall for that simple trick, doubting my friend's loyalty. Just like I did when you came to our school..." I suddenly brought my legs out from underneath him and kicked him straight in the stomach, projecting him a few feet away from me, taking his sword with him. I stood up and stared coldly down upon his stunned and confused face. "That won't happen again. So, I guess I should turn up the heat, huh?"

His facial expression was priceless. But, he was graceful enough to recover quickly and smirk. In a way, I admired this guys' stubbornness to quit, which somewhat made me want to puke.

"You're right," was his reply. "But, might I suggest that you be more careful this time around. I mean, I'm pretty sure that your life points are down extremely low. My attacks should have de-virtualized, but I guess you had more life points then Jeremie reported."

"You never know!"

I smiled and brought my sword in front of me (y'know how they do that whole sword thing, where it looks like they're cutting their face with it, then they turn it and then you can see the blade and everything...?). Lance did the same. I could feel myself shaking with excitement. I was actually going to have a serious sword fight and I knew that it was going to be good.

He made the first move. He walked to the side, keeping his sword in front of him. I copied. We slowly circled each other. Then, without warning, Lance attacked, swinging his sword over his head as he cried out.

I brought up my sword, mimicking my move when I saved Yumi when he did this attack. Again, I swung his sword away, but this time I tried to attack his legs. He stopped it.

To a mere by-stander (even though there weren't any) they would only be able to see flips and blurs of the warriors, and silver streaks of the swords. No one would've been able to see what was happening, except the two swordsmen.

Lance was breathing hard and his attacks were becoming slow. I, on the other hand, was running on pure adrenaline, so my attacks were faster and were connecting more than his.

_I haven't heard from Jeremie,_ I started to wonder. Then I shrugged. _He just probably doesn't want to distract me from this fight. Thank you, Jeremie!_

Just a Note here:

As a matter of fact, Jeremie was just sitting in his chair, watching and relaying the events of the battle to Yumi and the others. Even though he wasn't able to see the actual fight, he reported our life points and tracked our movements. Wow, Jeremie, I think your supercomputer needs a big screen TV. I mean, that is just boring!

Uh... back to the story...

Lance swung his sword one last time before jumping clear away from my retaliation. He was panting like a dog in the hot sun that went the whole day without water. His tongue was out and everything! God, man, I hope that you didn't stick that out at anyone...

"What's wrong, pal?" I asked in a sarcastic tone. "I thought you were going easy on me? What happened to the high-and-mighty Lancelot?"

He didn't bother answering me. Instead he turned away from me and drew out one of his blades. He through it towards the emptiness, though he seemed pleased with his apparently poor aim.

"Hel-lo!?!?!? I'm over he-re!" I reminded him, preparing myself for an amusing verbal lashing.

"Who said that I was aiming at you?" he said with a smirk.

"Huh? Uh... buddy, I think you just lost your mind. Well, either that or my ears are malfunctioning," I said while digging my pinky into my ear, pretending to try and remove what would have been a seriously large amount of earwax.

"Sorry, Ulrich, but I can see that you are stronger than you were previously. I guess all that time away made you want it more; all of your energy you've been saving is being released at this moment. I won't be able to de-virtualize you without de-virtualizing myself in the process. If I can't beat you yet, I can at least get rid of one of you while I'm waiting!"

That's when I realized what he was talking about.

"YUMI!!!"

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**.:/AN/:.** Well... there you go... Geez, hopefully I won't get any smart remarks on this chapter. But now you see? The first if this trilogy was Yumi fighting, the second was of Ulrich... so who's the third? Do you have any idea? Again, sorry for the somewhat-lame chapter, and I swear, I'm working my ass of for you _and_ me. Stupid parents... I _hate_ it when they pull that 'privilages' shit... "Get good grades and you'll get your DVD's back..." yeah, right. I just showed you my quiz and test scores! 100%! What else do you need? Oh, incase your wondering, those DVD's are of Yu Yu Hakusho. My story that I mentioned previously is also getting worked on. Of course, it's probably gonna turn out like the adult swin version, but what the hell? You guys are reading this, so it's fine! Right...? Well... later... 


	19. Taking Turns Part 2: Part 2: Sec Contest

Chapter 19: Taking Turns Part 2- Second Contestant Part 2 

Yumi's POV:

"Hey, Odd," I whispered, still peaking through my little peek hole.

"What?"

I turned to him, or… where I thought he was since it was kind of dark in the dome.

"I can't see Ulrich and Lance anymore. They must've moved over! The tower's open, we can get over there!"

Odd, or at least I think it was him, jumped up in excitement, but only hit his head on the low roof in the process as he fell back down to the ground with a loud THUMP. He let out a sharp yelp, hugging his head, as well as rubbing his abused bottom, and glaring daggers once more at the ceiling before breaking into an energized ramble.

"Alright! Oh, that is SO perfect! Nice, sweet! C'mon, wait are you waiting for, Aelita, let us out!"

"Uh…" she stuttered in confusion. Then, her face brightened in realization. I could literally see the light bulb floating over her head as she figured it out. "Oh! Okay!"

And with that said, she immediately opened up the sheltered dome. Quickly locating the tower that loomed over our heads, she broke into a sprint towards it. It was weird because there were no monsters, with only Ulrich and Lance battling. I brushed it off, speeding up even faster to take advantage of the lack of reinforcements. Still, I had to be sure…

"Jeremie?" I breathed out, still staring intently at the tower.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice crackling slightly.

"X.A.N.A. only has Lance here, right? Other than him, we're alone?"

"Yup, the computer isn't picking up any other monsters on the scanner, you guys are clean. Strange as it is…"

"That's what I thought. We'll be on our guard, just in case, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Before we knew it, we were in front of the tower, with Aelita stepping through the seemingly solid wall of the structure.

"I never get tired of seeing that," Odd said with an amazed smile as Aelita pressed herself into the wall. "That is just too neat, though I don't know how she does that…"

"Me, too," I said nodding, but my eyes were still skimming across the desolate landscape.

Odd, noticing my uneasiness, asked quietly, "Worried about Ulrich?"

Unable to deny it, I nodded again. "Yeah. It may sound weird, but I just have that feeling that something is wrong… something's gonna happen…"

"Don't sweat it!" Odd tried to say lightly. "If something was wrong, then Jeremie would have reported it. Besides, Ulrich is probably too busy making Lance's life hell at the moment to be in trouble. I swear, that guy is good at that…"

"At what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"At making people's lives hell, of course!" Odd exclaimed, his face resembling that of a shocked kitten. "I mean, ever since Lance showed up, he's made everything difficult, making you cry, making Jeremie uptight, making me all depressed like…"

"I didn't cry," I tried to say defensively.

"Yeah, uh-huh, sure, whatever you say, Yumi, and I'm a girl with diamond rings and pearled necklaces…"

"Well, now that you've mentioned it, you _do_ kind of look like…" I drifted off, ending my thoughts with a smirk.

"Hey…" Odd warned, though he smiled a little. "That's a bit below the belt there…"

I laughed. "Sorry, Odd."

"Ha, yeah, right, as if… Hey, Jeremie?" Odd asked, once more a serious adorning his usually confident features.

"What is it, Odd?" he replied, though it sounded a little strained. I wasn't sure why, but Aelita was taking a lot longer with the "rewind… thing" that always happens.

"Uh…" Odd stuttered, taken aback from Jeremie's tone. Apparently, he heard it as well. "I was just wondering how Ulrich was doing…"

"Oh…" Jeremie sighed. "I can't tell what's happened, just a few minutes ago Ulrich lost a lot of Life Points, but so far nothings happened and they're not moving… I should get a TV installed for this kind of thing…"

"Are you okay, Einstein?" Odd asked with concern.

"No…" he answered without hesitation. "When you're not moving, you're not fighting… and when you're not fighting, you're talking. And I don't know what they're talking about, but it must be something important because they're just standing there."

"So what?"

"As I'm pretty sure I've already explained, they've been standing in the exact same place as they were three minutes ago."

"Oh."

"How about this…" I cut in slowly. "Why is Aelita taking so long with the whole "rewind time thing"?"

"I don't know, she's probably having slight difficulty bypassing the de-virtualization malfunction so that you guys are returned to the real world safely. I'll try to help her out, but I won't be able to contact you guys for a moment. I need to head to the computer room to"—

"Yeah, whatever, Einstein," Odd interrupted quickly, not wanting to listen to his "techno babble".

Jeremie let out a small chuckle. "Just be careful while I'm gone, alright?"

"Yes, Mother," Odd and I said at the same time before breaking out into a fit of giggles ourselves.

"You guys are so funny…" There was a slight rustling sound before he spoke again. "Okay, I'm about to go, just thought you ought to know that Ulrich is down to 15 Life Points while Lance is still at 25, alright? Keep on the lookout, I've got a feeling that something's gonna happen."

"Roger, roger!" Odd said.

"Right, Jeremie out." And after that, silence was put upon us. Odd stared at me, and I stared at him before saying/ordering, "Okay, you look out that way, and I'll look this way."

"Why do you get to look in the direction Ulrich and Lance are?" he asked with suspicion. I, knowing that I was blushing once more, stayed silent.

"Fine, fine, Lover-girl, but next time I give the orders, clear?"

I just laughed at him and he pouted. "Seriously!"

"It's not gonna be up to me alone, Odd. We've got Ulrich back and he's known you longer than I have."

"So?"

"Never mind, Odd…"

The silence was back, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as it had been. Even though it was extremely boring, I continued to look over the white landscape, praying that Ulrich would appear in the distance with his cocky, yet triumphant grin that made my heart turn into goo…

Just thinking about his smile made me picture him all too clearly in my mind. His brown hair that stood defiantly off of his head, giving the impression that it was stiff due to many bottles of hair gel, but was actually extremely soft and smooth…(don't ask how she knows this…) His hair soon led to his dark, chocolate eyes, which made my own glaze over in wonder. They were so entrancing, strong and cold, yet they held the many emotions that his face never once betrayed. Speaking of his face… his high cheekbones gave the impression of gentleness at offset his hard gaze. His facial skin was smooth and flawless, and his mouth adorned perfectly moisturized lips that seemed almost as soft as his face. I imagined that his whole body must feel like silk. His body… I must say that he quite built for a boy his age, even though I think he's more of a man than any male. The reason why I know about his built is thanks to the many occasions when the four of us would hang out at the pool, and Ulrich was not one to wear a T-shirt while in the water. He says that he doesn't like the feeling of the cold, wet water plastered to his chest like a second skin—"it reminds me too much of Sissi…" But, oh boy, his chest…

"Yumi? Yumi? YUMI!"

"Ulrich…" I practically moaned out.

"YUMI!" Odd yelled in my ear, making me literally jump a foot into the air.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! WHAT, WHAT?" I screamed, my eyes darting around the empty landscape. I heard a loud fit of laughter coming from behind me and I slowly turned around, my hands squeezing tightly into fists and a scowl placed on my angry face.

Odd was just about rolling around on the ground, hugging his stomach as he howled with laughter. I could faintly make out tears streaming down his face due to the light reflecting off of it with a flash.

"What. Is. So. Funny?" I ground out through clenched teeth.

"Y-You were—heehee—daydreaming a-b-b-out Ulrich!" Odd gasped out.

I could feel my face burning so badly that I could've sworn that it was on fire. The snow that had appeared on my face sizzled as the heat from my body rose even more so. Unable to make up an excuse at that precise moment, I remained silent, praying to the gods that Ulrich wouldn't find out.

Even so, fate was never on my side.

"YUMI, LOOK OUT!" the voice that belonged to my long-time fantasy yelled loudly.

I never saw it coming, and neither did Odd, thanks to my little daydream.

But Ulrich did.

And I wished that he hadn't.


	20. Taking Turns Part 3: Third Contestant

**./AN:.**

Don't you just love me? I've already started updating again! WHEEE! ahem Anyways, I just thought that I'd say I'm sorry for making so many of you writhe in disappointemtn and desperation, but I'm determined to finish what I started. I have stated in many of my own reviews that I admire those that openly express their work to others, whether it is good work or not, and I have also addressed that there is nothing that I dislike more than an author/authoress that doesn't finish his or her story. And I'd really be happy if I didn't become what I most despise. So, if you are one of those people that have either given up on your story, then either get back to it or delete itit's a waste of time to leave unfinished work out there on the internet if you don't intend in finishing it... anyways, here's your chapter, so read and enjoy...

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Chapter 20: Taking Turns Part 3- Third Contestant/Lost Love… Maybe

Ulrich's POV:

_I'm not fast enough…_

My feet were pounding the ground beneath me, my breath was coming in ragged gasps.

_I'm too tired…_

My legs were strained, my lungs were on fire. I couldn't see straight, my sight blurred by frantic tears.

_I have to get to her, I have to…_

My head throbbed, my heart burned. I could only rely on my instinct to lead me in the right direction to her.

_Please, I've got to save her…_

Damn you, Lance, for doing this to us, to me! Why, why couldn't it be someone else? Why her?

_No, no, no! This isn't right, this shouldn't happen!_

I couldn't tell how fast I was moving since there wasn't an object that I could actually see to gauge my speed. But, then, I saw it—not the tower, not my two friends, but the cursed knife that was making me run for my life. I was running right next to it! No, that's not right… I ran past it.

I tried to swipe at it, to knock it off course, but I missed, my hand flying wildly due to the force of the virtual wind I was creating around my streaming body. I started to loose my speed, the knife gained a few feet. My feet started to petal faster, propelling me back ahead of the dagger.

And that's when, to my horror, I saw them. The tower, Odd…

Yumi…

My legs were starting to buckle beneath me, my feet stumbling over invisible nicks and crooks in the snow-covered ground. The knife was beating me, gaining a few inches every time my leg muscles had a spasm or I tripped.

_I'm not going to make it._

I didn't know what to do, she was just standing there, staring off into space, while Odd was looking the other way. Then, he yelled her name so loud that even I was able to hear it. She jumped about a foot into the air, and I knew that I'd be laughing if I weren't so scared for her life. Still, they didn't notice me or the blade, Odd too busy rolling around on the ground, laughing, and Yumi too busy trying to control her blush…

I'm not going to make it… 

I knew, then, what I had to do…

When I felt that I was close enough for it to work, I yelled, "YUMI, LOOK OUT!"

She looked up, surprise quickly turning to happiness, which then turned to worry, then…

Fear…

She saw it, but only a second had passed and she didn't move out of the way quickly enough.

I helped her…

I dove, throwing my hands out to shove her, non to gently, out of the way so that she was out of the range of the blade and was safe…

only so that I could take her place.

I didn't really feel it, but I could feel _something_ when the blade connected to my back. It wasn't pain, but it sure as hell didn't feel good. It was strange, for even Lance's blade didn't feel like this when he thrust it into my stomach. I gasped out at the unpleasant sensation as my body collided with the snowy ground, forcing me to let out a brief cry of pain.

"ULRICH!" I heard them yell, though it was slightly muffled by the snow that had wedged itself into my ear.

I slid a few more feet from my rough landing, but I didn't feel like moving as the snow that I had kicked up because of my fall settled back down onto my body. It created a soft, yet cold, blanket that managed to chill me, even though I couldn't feel the coldness before…

But, it wasn't the snow that made me feel cold—it was my body. Or, more accurately, what was happening to my body. I didn't get it, but apparently the knife had the same poison the Hornets had covering the blade, making it a lethal weapon that could de-virtualize anyone that it made contact with. And the coldness that I was feeling was my body's life being absorbed by X.A.N.A.

I could barely make out Yumi's figure through my teary eyes as she made her way back to me. I faintly felt her kneel beside me, lifting my head into her lap only so that she could hug me. I could've sworn that I felt her tears fall onto my face, but I knew that you couldn't cry in the virtual world…

"No, Ulrich, what did you do…" she whispered into my hair.

"You should have been paying attention…" I mumbled back, fighting the urge to close my eyes. I was suddenly extremely tired, almost like I had gone three days without sleep…

"LASER ARROW!" we heard Odd yell, and I could hear the emotional pain in his voice. I knew without seeing him that Lance had followed me to the gang, and I inwardly cursed myself for not getting to them faster, so that maybe I would have escaped death as well as saved Yumi… still, Yumi ignored Lance completely, quite content with letting Odd deal the damage the ninja boy deserved.

"Don't you dare blame this on me, Ulrich, you were the one that jumped… you shouldn't have…"

"I know, but I did anyways…" it was getting harder for me to talk, and I knew that my body was being de-virtualized. My data was floating away from me, then disappearing out of sight.

"Please, Ulrich, stay with us… we can't let you go, I can't, I won't!"

I gave into a small smirkish smile. "Sorry Yumi…"

And everything stopped.

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**./AN:.**

And, that's it for now! I will continue this, you have my word. Even though I'm not fully into the show anymore doesn't mean that I won't do my best and finish this to the best of my amatuer abilities... Stay tuned!


	21. Too Close For Comfort

**.:AN:.**

So, here is the second to last chapter of my story. Wait a minute- I've almost completed a story! OMG! Call the media! I'VE ALMOST COMPLETED A STORY! WHOOT! AND IT'S POPULAR! WHOOT! (BIG smile) I feel so sucessful! Anyways, here's some answers and comments to some... comments that I recieved from my last chapter:

**Eva-Freak015: **Yeah, I know... I updated... (all bashfull). And we'll see what Yumi's reaction will be in this chapter! Isn' that great? Okay, I'll shut up now!

**Janika:** Oh, you're crying! Here's a tissue (hands he/she a HUMUNGO box of tissues)... And I'm sorry that I didn't make it clear about the running part. See, Ulrich was running extremely fast, but he kept tripping, and he had msucles spasms where... your muscle... spasms... Anyways, he's not a pansy, he's just a clumsy, desperate fool!

**Yuriko Nishidera:** Hey, what a kawinkadink! I hate cliffys too! GO US! DOWN WITH CLIFFYS! UP WITH UPDATES! DOWN WITH CLIFFYS! UP WITH UPDATES! Anyways, I updated, so you can pay me now. Cash or check, it doesn't matter... JUST SHOW ME THE MONEY! Sorry, inside joke...

**MoonScar X**: Wow! I like the sound of you! You're crazy and hyper and very close-minded (in a good way, mind you)! Just like me! And of _course _Ulrich didn't die! I'm just not going to tell you right now! You have to read and find out! And of _course_ Lance and Yumi aren't going to hook up! This _is _a UxY story, is it not? And Lance is evil. He dies... in a way...

**crazyanimelover:** ...Maybe. The answers to all of your questions lie in the print before you. Read... and BEWARE! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Ah... I'm okay!

**Singingstarqt:** I have officially updated, which means that I deserve cookies and loads and loads of money. GIVE ME NOW!... or not.

**oddkittycat: **Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, I love you! So I am updating this story for you! Hee, hee, hee... just kidding, but I updated, so please don't cry!

Anyways... that's it, so just read! God! Flippin' idiot!

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**Chapter 21: Too Close For Comfort… Yeah, right!**

**Ulrich's POV:**

_"Man, am I hungry!" Odd exclaimed his mouth literally watering as he took in his overloaded cafeteria tray, rubbing his hands together in anticipation._

_"Odd," I pointed out from my place across the table, trying not to roll my eyes. "You're always hungry."_

_"But I missed dinner!" he replied defensively, tearing his eyes away from his "delicious" cafeteria food. "You know how I get when I miss a meal." I almost wanted to strangle him, imitating Homer from the Simpsons, but then I would've had to remove my arm that was placed on a certain girl's shoulders._

_"Which comes oh-so rarely," Yumi put in sarcastically from my side, feigning innocence. I always liked her like that, just out of the blue pretending to be a "girly girl". And I honestly wouldn't have her any other way…_

_We, excluding Odd, all laughed light-heartedly at that. After all, it was the truth. Sue us! Jeremie was nudging Odd with his elbow, goading him into lightening up, even though he kind of just pouted, momentarily forgetting about his starvation. But he_ _couldn't help but join in as the amusement escalated. It had been a while since we had been this relaxed, so why spoil it? Y'know how people say "every party needs a pooper, so we invited you"? Well, no one says that to Odd._

_"Ah," Odd sighed, wiping away an imaginary tear as he laid back against the back of his chair, placing his other hand on his strangely fit stomach (he eats so much, just HOW does he stay thin?) "It's nice to be able to laugh again, isn't it? Feels like forever since we've hung out, __all of us, together, doesn't it?"_

_I sobered quickly, a small smile still on my face as my gaze drifted to the floor._

_"Yes," I replied softly. "Yes, it does."_

_I couldn't remember the last time that I enjoyed being with all of my friends as I was then. I guess I took them for granted, thinking that they'd always be there for me when I needed them, even if it was for the tiniest thing. Mostly concerning Sissi, but we won't get into that… Anyways, I never thought I'd be treasuring moments like this. It just seems so surreal, me being a sentimental fool, dreaming of the days when I could pretend I was a normal teenager with a normal life hanging out with normal friends while trying to ignore the lies of normal homework that awaited my return back in my normal dorm room._

_Wait a moment…_

_Dreaming…?_

**.:End Of Dream:.**

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**Odd's POV:**

"LASER ARROW!" I screamed, unable to hide the pain that was combined with my angered tone. A loud cry of anguish accompanied my yell, and I could feel the triumph flow through me, momentarily dulling my emotional ache. But, unfortunately, it left as soon as it came.

Lance had flown several feet back due to my arrow's multiple attack. He landed roughly on his back, skidding slightly as he came to a stop. With rage laced with every painful step I took, I slowly made my way to him. I guess I made a pretty impressive sight because his eyes widened in fear and he tried to scoot away from me. However, blinded by fury, I shot one of my arrows near his head, purposely missing it by an inch or two. No sooner had he yelped in surprise than I was standing over him, my arm aiming right at his face threateningly, as if daring him to test my give.

"So you're going to kill me?" he asked, and it surprised me how dull his voice still seemed to be compared to his emotional features on his face.

"I'm trying to decide if it will be worth it," I managed to growl out, my gritted teeth and the lump in my throat making it extremely difficult to speak. "After all, you killed Ulrich."

I was shocked, not only because I knew it was true, but also because I knew it _couldn't_ be true. Who could, knowing that the person you've known all your life and believed could never die unless it was alongside you when you're old and crippled, with your sanity barely intact? It hurt, because Ulrich, my best friend ever since we'd met, was one of those people that gave the impression of being invincible. Ulrich was someone that people looked to for help, for safety. He emitted the feeling of security.

And I somehow decided that he couldn't ever be defeated.

A crazed laugh brought me out of my thoughts, causing unpleasant shivers to run down my spine that made me shake involuntarily.

"Yes, I did manage to take down one of you, didn't I?" Lance agreed, allowing another so-called laugh to escape his pale lips.

"That's not something I would brag about, Lancy-boy," I warned him, cocking my arm suggestively. "I'm holding your life in my hands. Unfortunately for you, I'm very clumsy."

"You don't have the heart," Lance told me dismissively, his previous fear disappearing rapidly.

Don't have the heart? DON'T HAVE THE HEART? Who doesn't "have the heart" to take away someone's life? Everyone can take away someone's life, they just don't want to take the risk, the responsibility. Well, guess what, buck-o? I'm trying to decide whether or not you're worth the trouble. Because I do have the heart.

I have the ability… and the opportunity to take away your life.

But should I do it?

Should I cross the line? Ironic, isn't it? To think that in a period of a couple weeks (was that really all it has been? Just a few weeks? It feels like a lifetime), I've gone from trying to get out of doing my homework, to gaining a new friend, loosing another close friend, and trying to decide if I want to kill someone…

Rage built up inside of me again. I wanted so much to go back to the way things use to be. With me pulling pranks and cracking jokes. With Jeremie trying to get us all to do our homework and figuring out Aelita's anti-virus. With Ulrich and Yumi insulting Sissi (all of us doing that, actually) and pretending that they don't like each other beyond being close friends while we poke fun at them and try to get them to hook up. With Jim always trying to catch us doing something "against the school rules". With Sissi nagging Ulrich, and us nagging her back—did I already say that? Well, it counts for two because that was fun. That was one of the normal things we did, while trying to deny the fact that we were different than the rest of the kids at our school and, at the same time, enjoying the fact that we were doing things that no one else was doing. No one else was risking his or her lives for the world. We didn't have to sit around, worrying about the world coming to an end, and being able to do nothing.

When the time came, we were able to do something. We were able to make a difference. And when we weren't, we were able to live our normal lives.

Thanks to lance, things would never be normal.

Nothing would be the same.

These last words echoed through my head (it's so empty! Echo, echo!). My blood was on fire, boiling as the heat rose to my face. It was turning red, and the anger and frustration started to build up, causing my arm to shake. Why must this be so hard? I have to kill him! I _need_ to kill him. If not for the safety for the rest of us, then be it for revenge! For killing someone close to me! For killing my best friend! For killing my brother!

For killing Ulrich!

Sweat started to trickle its way down my face, my brows furrowed as my mental battle continued. My features were twisted in emotional agony, showing my irritation for the situation I had put myself in.

**Just shoot him! End it all, just take it away!**

_You can't do it! _A voice in my head screamed desperately. _It's not fair! It's not right!_

**He killed Ulrich! That's not right either!**

_He didn't want to! _The voice tried again.

**What's wrong with you? **I asked angrily. **What do you mean, 'he didn't want to'?**

_He wasn't in control! X.A.N.A. was controlling him! He was in charge, not Lance! Lance is a good person!_

**A good person? Is that even possible? Lance was a twisted person from the beginning!**

_NO! X.A.N.A. had complete control over his mind and body as soon as he arrived at Kadic! He's been trying to fight it, but has gotten a mental beating every time! He's in pain trying to do the right thing!_

**If he's hurting so bad, then I'd be doing him a favor putting him and this god-for-saken machine to rest! It's all the more reason to kill him!**

_He wasn't fighting all this time just to let his chance at freedom slip away at the sound of the gun! He doesn't deserve that!_

**THEN WHAT SHOULD I DO?**

My mind was screaming, my head was reeling, my body was shaking, and my concentration was slipping. What was I suppose to do?

Lance watched my battle of mentality with interest and an evil grin. Slowly, he pushed himself off of the ground, advancing oh-so carefully towards my frozen body, which was, at the time, too busy trying to decide what to do to actually pay attention. When he was standing right in front of me, he cockily waved his hands in front of my face as he pretended to check to see if I was awake.

Too bad he didn't know that I, the Almighty and Unpredictable Odd, could be a windmill when I wake up.

And holding a ready weapon at my disposal isn't any better.

With a surprised cry, several shots went off, most, if not all, coming in direct contact with Lance's body. My eyes widened, watching slowly as the ninja boy's collapsed slowly onto the ground, his own eyes wide with shock and fear.

A strangled plea escaped his even-more-so paled lips, his eyes fluttering open and closed repetitively. I could only stand stationary as Lance's seemingly lifeless body lay on the ground while trying to speak. I could picture the blood flowing steadily out of his mouth had this been in the real world, and shivered in disgust. However, my body as motionless, trying to make out Lance's speech.

"I… I d-didn't want… to die," he gasped out, his voice shaking horribly. Tears clouded his sheltered eyes, and he raised one trembling hand to pull his mouth covering down further, freeing more of his face. "I… w-wanted… to see… my m-m-mother again… ah!"

His eyes clenched in pain, then opened slowly as his data started to disappear in the air.

"W-what's happening?" he asked with a small smile. "A… am I dying?"

I couldn't stand it. He was acting just like a child. An innocent child who didn't deserve to have his life cut at the wick, snuffed out like a candle flame. He was too pure, to naïve for a death like that.

"I-I'm so sorry," I choked out, bringing my hand to my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose in an attempt to calm myself down. "You didn't deserve this!"

"It's okay, Odd," a familiar voice told me. A firm hand gripped my shoulder, comforting me in a way that only one person could…

I dropped my hand and whirled around, staring into the eyes of a person I never thought would open their eyes again.

"ULRICH?"

**

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**Yumi's POV:**

"ULRICH?"

I was still frozen to the spot where Ulrich had been moments before he had completely de-virtualized. My eyes were glued to the empty space his head had been resting not two seconds ago on my lap. My hands wrung themselves over and over again, making them turn white then red, then white again. I was swallowing back tears, forcing them to stay at bay, to go away and never return.

I wanted to be strong, I wanted to show that death didn't hurt me.

But it did. It did hurt. It so bad that I thought I would die right along with him. Which was strange, because I never thought I'd be saying, indirectly since I can't exactly say those words out loud, that he was dead. Gone. No longer here with us, to mess around and hang out with us.

With me.

I miss him. He didn't talk much, but that was okay. Words aren't all that important. It was more the way that he made me feel. Like I was special, that I mattered to someone. Who would've thought that I felt like I didn't matter? I save people, I help people, and I have the best friends anyone could ask for. But I never thought that I'd be wishing someone would tell me that I was important.

But he would. If not with words, then with actions. Everything he did made me remember the friend that slowly developed into a crush.

And now that he was gone, completely… gone, it made me wish that I never knew him. The pain of knowing I would never see his smile, hear his voice, hell, watch him fight in Lyoko once more was killing me. Just thinking of him made my heart flip, hearing his name made me freeze. And those were things that I couldn't stand living with… or without.

But when I heard Odd yell that name that I swore I didn't want to hear again, I felt my heart leap into my throat, causing me to choke for a moment.

Did I hear correctly?

I rose gracefully from my spot on the ground, and turned a full one-eighty degrees…

…and almost fell back down again, much less gracefully.

There was Ulrich, standing tall and proud, one hand on Odd's shoulder, with the other hanging casually near his sword's hilt.

"Yeah," I heard Ulrich reply. "It's me."

"But… how…?"

"Wha…?" I tried to figure out while also trying to get over the fact that… ULRICH WAS ALIVE!

He turned to me, and smiled _that_ smile. "It's okay, Yumi. I'm here and I don't plan on leaving you guys any time soon."

"Return to the past… NOW!"

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**Ulrich's POV:**

"Class, we have a new student," Ms. Hertz announced. I sent Jeremie an odd look. Odd was back asleep next to me and I was still leaning back in my chair, staring out the window while others were doing the same.

"Lance, if you could kindly stand up and show yourself to the class…"

The new kid, Lance, stood up and smiled brightly, waving to the class enthusiastically. Everyone was just staring at him, some said hi or some kind of greeting. However, they were interested in him this time around, unlike last time when we were like zombies.

"Everyone, this is Lance Halsted," Ms. Hertz introduced. "He has transferred from another school and will be spending the rest of the school year with us."

He was into black. That's all I had thought of him at the time. But now that I was looking at the real Lance, that thought would have never crossed my mind.

He was into white. Yup, not black—white. He adorned a white long-sleeved shirt with one of those monkeys on the front saying, "Smile. It confuses people" (don't girls usually wear that? NOT ANYMORE!). He also wore white cargos that had all sorts of crazy mottos on the pockets and cuffs, like, "I'd say I'm sorry, but that would be lying… and lying is bad." (I MADE THAT ONE UP!)

"Hey, everyone! It's nice to be here!" he introduced joyfully.

"This doesn't make sense," Jeremie muttered to us… or, more specifically (Odd's asleep, remember?), me. "Wasn't he devirtualized?"

"Guess he wasn't completely gone when Aelita put in the code," I whispered back. "We'll talk about it when we have _everyone's_ attention."

"Agreed," was his reply.

The lunch bell rang, and Odd jolted awake immediately. He shot our of his chair, running to the door, and the crowd of hungry students, screaming once more, "Get away, that's _my_ food!"

"Some things never change," Jeremie told me with a knowing smile.

"Don't complain," I said sternly, but my friendly tone ruined it. "You never know when one of us may die… or… POOF!"

Jeremie laughed, but all the same, didn't comment again. Instead, he swung his arm around my shoulders, giving me a shake with the brightest smile I ever saw him wear.

"Yumi told me what you did while I was gone. Pretty clever… for you, at least."

"Hey, I find that comment _very_ offensive," I replied, pretending to be hurt while sticking out my lower lip.

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry, Baby Ulrich… How about if I get Nanny Yumi over here so that she can kiss it and make it better?"

I froze, halting my movements and glaring at him in a sinister way. But, he didn't even look back at me as he continued to walk, whistling innocently all the way.

"Jeremie…" I warned.

He still ignored me, waving briefly to students that passed him by.

I sighed with a slump of my shoulders, staring up at the ceiling. They just didn't get it… but, then again, wasn't it I that didn't get it? Even though I denied it, I knew deep down that I cared for Yumi. A lot more than I'm suppose to if we're still just close friends. She's the world to me, what she thinks of me is important to me. She was the only one that could make me cry in anguish when X.A.N.A.—possessed Lance started to take over my life. She was the only one that made my heart stop just by walking past me, even after weeks of not talking to each other. It scared me to know that she had so much control over me. Who wants to know that a girl has power over a guy, especially if he was the guy? Not me… but, then again, Yumi's no ordinary girl. And me? I guess I can live with the fact that she's the ONLY person that has power over me.

Sissi?

No way.

I just felt that I needed to say that…

I met up with Odd at the door, who was already loaded down with piles of food on his overflowing cafeteria tray. We found our usual table, and sat down, facing each other. I didn't bother getting g line. I simply mooched off of Odd's plate for some of the good stuff. After all, he wouldn't notice since his face was already buried in food.

"Man, am I hungry!" Odd exclaimed, his mouth spewing food bits as he shoveled more food into his gaping mouth.

"Odd," I pointed out, trying not to roll my eyes. "You're always hungry."

"But I missed dinner!" he replied defensively, tearing his eyes, hands, and mouth away from his "delicious" cafeteria food. "You know how I get when I miss a meal."

"Which comes oh-so rarely, really," Yumi put in sarcastically, coming up with her own tray of food alongside Jeremie, feigning innocence. She sat down next to me, and Jeremie took his place next to the pouting Odd.

"Then again," Jeremie added slyly, "We didn't _really_ miss dinner, considering we haven't _had _dinner yet, right, Odd?" Everyone started to laugh, once more catching one of Jeremie's rare jokes.

Jeremie was nudging Odd with his elbow, goading him into lightening up, even though he kind of just continued to pout, momentarily forgetting about his starvation. But he couldn't help but join in as the amusement escalated. It had been a while since we had been this relaxed, so why spoil it? Y'know how people say "every party needs a pooper, so we invited you?" Well, no one says that to Odd.

"Ah," Odd sighed, wiping away an imaginary tear as he laid back against the back of his chair, placing his other hand on his strangely fit stomach (he eats so much, just HOW does he stay thin?). It's nice to be able to laugh again, isn't it? Feels like forever since we've hung out, _all_ of us, together, doesn't it?"

I sobered quickly, a small smile still on my face as my gaze drifted to the floor.

"Yes," I replied softly. "Yes, it does."

I couldn't remember the last time that I enjoyed being with all of my friends as I was then. I guess I took them for granted, thinking that they'd always be there for me when I needed them, even if it was for the tiniest thing. Mostly concerning Sissi, but we won't get into that… Anyways, I never thought I'd be treasuring moments like this. It just seems so surreal, me being a sentimental fool, dreaming of the days when I could pretend I was a normal teenager with a normal life hanging out with normal friends while trying to ignore the piles of normal homework that awaited my return back in my normal dorm room.

I had this same dream when part of me was being devirtualized. But this time it wasn't a dream. This time, it was real. And I was happy. Because now I know that I'm not in danger anymore.

I can relax, and hang out freely with my friends, without having to look over my back, watching out for Lance-a… Lance.

"Hey, guys?" Yumi interrupted. "Look, I know I'm extremely smart and everything, but… exactly what happened on Lyoko?"

I started coughing at her first statement, pretending to be insulting while Jeremie and Odd rolled their eyes.

"Watch it, boys," Yumi warned us, her eyes gaining a dangerous glint.

"What are you talking about?" I asked innocently, looking away and acting hurt. "I've only complimented you, and tended to your every whim. I don't know where you got the idea that I was somehow insolent towards you…"

I could tell that Yumi was holding back some major laughs, so I added the extra touch—my oh-so innocent smile. Then, she let loose, laughing her head off so hard that tears were forming at the corner of her eyes. She leaned in to bury her head into my shoulders, stifling her laughing only slightly. I chuckled softly, listening to her giggling music, reminding me greatly of bells…

As soon as her laughter subsided, she lifted her head and asked again, "Seriously, guys, what happened on Lyoko?"

"Well, Einstein? You're up!" Odd informed him, giving him an audible slap on the back, making him lurch forward and forcing his glasses to slide down his nose considerably.

Straightening his glasses and posture, he folded his hands onto the table, preparing for his long explanation.

"Well… I guess I should start at the beginning."

"No duh, Einstein," Odd said sarcastically, nudging him this time.

"Very funny, Odd. Anyways, it all started when Lance came to Kadic. He was already possessed by X.A.N.A. when he got here. My guess is that X.A.N.A. was using him to break us apart while getting into our mists peacefully." He paused to take a look at me, and I could only sink in my seat, and look away.

"For example," he continued, taking his eyes off me once more, "he tried to seduce Yumi into falling for him… which kind of worked…"

I heard Yumi shuffling her feet underneath the table, and I stole a glance at her. She was looking _extremely _guilty…

"He also tried to get on Odd's good side by getting him that CD that he's obsessed over."

"And he never got me it…" Odd sulked, still stuffing his face with his food.

"He managed to get me to like him by just helping me and being nice." As soon as he said this, his eyes broadened and he slapped his hand across his forehead. "I am such a idiot…"

"No, you're just a pansy," Odd told him evenly, not even glancing at him as Jeremie gave him a harsh glare. "If you were an idiot, then I would be failing all my classes."

"Thanks, Odd… Anyways," Jeremie continued, finally looking away from the pig. "All of this added to pushing you, Ulrich, out of the picture entirely… which also kind of worked."

"No, it did work," I said firmly, still glaring heatedly at the tiled cafeteria floor. "I was an idiot—a selfish, egotistical idiot. He was always goading me into hitting him, into hurting him. But I never did, because I thought that you guys would hate me more if I tried to hurt him. It was obvious what he was trying to do, and I let it happen anyways." My fists were clenching tightly at my sides, and I closed my eyes out of my growing rage. "It was all my fault that this happened. I could've helped you guys, we would've beat him a lot easier, without the hate and anger. The reason for your pain was because of me."

A warm hand suddenly covered my right fist, comforting and soothing. My eyes snapped open and shot up to find the source of the warmth, and they met with dark, loving ones that belonged to the only person that sincerely looked at me like that.

Yumi.

"It's okay, Ulrich," she told me calmly, massaging my hand slowly. "It's not your fault at all. Don't blame yourself. The person… _thing_ you _ should _blame is X.A.N.A. He intended on you breaking away, it made it easier for him. That was his plan all along. And when he plans something, very rarely does it not go the way he wants it to. Please, it's not your fault."

My fist relaxed, and Yumi folded it with hers, intertwining our fingers. My whole body felt warm and relaxed, and I could do nothing to quell the blush that was rising to my cheeks. She smiled at me, and I could only manage a weak smile in return before staring at our hands that rested in-between our chairs. They molded together perfectly, and the feelings they created were so new to me. Yet, at the same time, I knew those feelings, and embraced them.

"Thanks, Yumi," I said truthfully, returning my gaze to her affectionate eyes. IN a way, I was telling her that I truly meant it, and that she was very important to me.

Which was true.

She smiled again, and turned back to Jeremie, motioning for him to continue.

"Oh, right!" he said quickly, jerking himself out of his staring. "Um… where was I…?"

We stared at him, blinking every once in a while, before Odd told him smartly, "You just got done telling us about how getting on everyone's good side pushed Ulrich out of the picture entirely."

More staring and blinking, directed to Odd this time.

"What?" he asked with a shrug.

"It's just… usually, you tune out when Jeremie's explaining things…" I told him warily.

"Hey! He caught my attention when he mentioned the CD, and… well, he wasn't speaking gibberish yet," he informed us sheepishly.

"…Right. Well, anyways…"

"Hold on, I've got a question," I interrupted quickly, raising my "unoccupied" hand. "If Lance was taken over by X.A.N.A. _before_ he got here, then why didn't Aelita cotice an activated tower?"

"Well, in a way, she did," Jeremie said with a confused look. "We took a trip to Lyoko before he arrived, remember? X.A.N.A. must've tricked th whole tower business by creating another attack to distract us from Lance's possession. Kind of like walking out of a store with an un-purchased item the same as someone else. The employees are thinking that the second person is stealing something while the real thief gets away."

"And how do you know this?" Odd asked him suspiciously.

"Sam told us about her stealing habits, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

"But wouldn't that mean that _two_ towers were activated?" Yumi asked, bringing the conversation back to the original topic.

"Yes, unless the second person was associated with the thief," Jeremie answered offhandedly.

Yumi and I exchanged confused looks. "Huh?" we asked simultaneously.

"Sorry. What I meant was that it _would_ activate two towers, unless the second activation had something to do with the first activation."

"So you mean…" I started to say, catching on.

"Yes. Lance's possession had something to do with the diversion attack. But, I haven't been able to figure it out just yet."

"What was the attack again?" Odd asked with perplexity.

"Gang members being momentarily possess—oh," Jeremie cut off, staring blankly at us.

"Oh, what?" Yumi asked, slightly irritated.

Shifting his body to lean in closer to the rest of us, he said quietly, "X.A.N.A. must've possessed Lance slightly before all of the loose gang members that were running around town. That was the diversion attack. He wanted us to go after the gang members while he got away with taking over Lance's body completely."

"But… the time in-between the attacks would've separated them," I said puzzled, one of my eyebrows raised in uncertainty.

"No, because the time that took place between the attacks was used to drain power from it's electrical storage tanks so that X.A.N.A. could take control of the gang member's bodies."

"See, _this _is where I would've tuned out," Odd said simply.

"Don't you see?" exclaimed Jeremie, ignoring Odd's comment completely. "They were all linked, but the time in the middle of each attack separated them so that when we de-activated the tower, Lance wouldn't be cleared from X.A.N.A. He was still in control."

Silence accompanied that speech. We looked at each other, the same question echoing throughout our heads.

"If he was able to do this and almost get away with it… then he could get away with it again," I said solemnly. "Just think about it—the only reason we were able to save Lance was because he came to us. Otherwise, we would've been clueless."

"For now, I don't think X.A.N.A. will be trying this again. As I said before, it took a considerable amount of energy for X.A.N.A. to possess so many people at once. The computer was in deep sleep when we returned from that trip, remember? And it takes a while for a computer of that size to regenerate with a limited supply of electricity. We should be safe for a while."

"Then how were we able to get into Lyoko, if that's true?" Odd challenged.

"X.A.N.A. must've used his back-up storage tanks to make it possible for us to get into Lyoko. The last attempt, the one we just got back from, was probably a must for him because it was his grand scheme. X.A.N.A. expected it to work. And it would've, if Ulrich didn't come at the last minute to help us."

Jeremie winked at me, Odd gave me one of his big smiles, and Yumi squeezed my hand appreciatively. I squeezed back and smiled at the all. An ego-boost in the afternoon makes everyone a happy camper, don't you think?

"So I don't think we'll be hearing from X.A.N.A. any time soon," Jeremie finished with a laugh.

"Which brings to mind another question, actually," Yumi said with a mysterious glint in her eye.

"What?" Jeremie asked with puzzlement.

She turned to me, putting one bent arm onto the back of her seat. "How come you were being devirtualized one moment, and standing behind Odd, all in one piece, the next, hm?"

"Oh that," I said with a light laugh, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. "I… made copies of myself…"

"You duplicated yourself?" Odd exclaimed.

"Yeah, pretty much. You didn't see me when I was running towards you guys. Yumi was going to get hit by the poisoned knife, and Lance was charging for you, Odd. So I duplicated myself so that I could knock Yumi out of the way, and trip up Lance, too."

"You idiot, you made me think that you were dead!" Yumi exclaimed angrily. "I really thought you had died, Ulrich!"

"Me, too, y'know…" Odd put in, unusually serious and sad.

"Hey, can I join you?" a familiar, yet different voice interrupted hopefully.

We all looked up to see Lance towering over us, an Odd-like smile adorning his features. I froze, but quickly relaxed, remembering that X.A.N.A. was no longer in control of him. I offered a soft smile in return and said, "Sure, go ahead."

Instead of sitting down next to Yumi, like I thought he would, he sat down next to Jeremie.

"Who's this?" asked Jeremie innocently, playing the part while indicating to Lance.

"Uh, guys, this is Lance Halted," I introduced. "He's new here. Lance, this is Yumi and Jeremie. You remember Jeremie from class, don't you?" Lance smiled, shaking hands and exchanging nods with everyone.

"Nice to meet you," Yumi greeted kindly, seemingly forgetting her earlier anger.

"Yeah," agreed Jeremie. "So, you're new, huh?"

Lance nodded, saying with a smile, "Yup, I moved here from good old U.S.A. I like it here, though, but it looks so different from home…"

"Who do you want to show you around? Or did someone already give you the tour?" Yumi asked, and I stared at her in surprise.

"I'm not sure, but if you're offering…"

"Excuse me?" I asked, the same anger burning up in me again.

"I'd appreciate it if Yumi could show me around," he said shyly.

"How about we all show you around?" Jeremie suggested quickly, yet smoothly.

"That sounds great," I agreed swiftly, squeezing Yumi's hand again. "We'll all show you around."

"Great," Lance replied with a grin. "Thanks, guys."

"It's no problem," Odd told him firmly, looking at me with a smile. "We're all happy to do it."

"Yeah," I added softly. "We're all happy to do it."

"Thanks for letting me hang with you guys," Lance said over his shoulder as he jogged away to his next class, probably to talk to the teacher since we still have ten minutes… "You guys are awesome."

"Thanks, we're glad that you enjoyed it," I said with amusement in my voice.

Lance simply laughed and jogged away.

"He's so white," Odd commented.

"Yeah, I know…" I agreed with a shake of my head. "He's just so…"

"White," we all said at the same time, excluding a certain moody girl.

"Well, I'm glad you guys are able to be so happy after learning that your best friend almost _died!" _Yumi exclaimed, standing up from the table out of rage.

"Look, Yumi," I tried to apologize, but she didn't listen.

"Save it. I'm going for a walk. I'll see you in a bit…"

She stalked off, and I could see hints of tears in her eyes. She had been hiding them all throughout lunch, and that added to my sense of guilt. I sighed deeply, and watched her leave, tempted to go after her—to force her to listen to me.

"She's got it hard for you, man," Odd said, observing her leave as well.

"Shut up, Odd," I told him, not even taking a glance at him.

"Maybe you should go after her," Jeremie suggested.

"Maybe I should," I said, pushing my chair out and making my way towards the door she took.

Of course, you can always count on Sissi to try and stop me.

"Ulrich, dear, don't bother trying to get her to see what a great guy you are," she said sweetly, so sweet that it was sickening.

"Leave all compliments and pick-up lines at my secretaries desks," I said evenly, shoving my way past her and her two cronies. "They'll have fun making fun of you for a few hours."

"What?" she shrieked, her hands flying to her mouth as if she had something on her face.

"Have a nice day, Sissi!" I called to her in that same sickly sweet tone that she had used previously.

Forget about Sissi. What mattered right now was Yumi, and trying to get her to forgive me. Why was she so worked up about it?

I knew the answer, I just wanted to hear her say it herself.

**.:AN:.**

Okay, so that's the end of this chapter, which is probably the longest one yet. The next chapter will be fully loaded with UxY fluff, for those that read this story souly for the... fluff. I'm not all that good with the gushy-gushy, lovely dovely romance crud (I usually throw up when watching it, but...), so I apologize before hand if it's not as good as you thought it would be. Thanks for sticking with me for so long, and putting up with my procrastination and junk... so, yeah, thanks for reading...

NOW REVIEW!

Please?


	22. Love’s Solace—Chocolate Kisses

**One Door Closes As Another Door Opens- A Code: Lyoko Fanfic**

_Written By: Painin Uranus_

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.:AN:.**

_Okay, as you can see, this is the very last chapter. THE VERY LAST CHAPTER! OMG! This is a first for me, never thought I'd ever finish a story, let alone its very last chapter be a kissy-kissy romance one. Yes, I've never done a kissy-kissy romance scene in my LIFE! So, please, tell me what you think, I just have to know… here it is. Don't hurt me!_

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Chapter 22: Love's Solace—Chocolate Kisses**

**Ulrich's POV:**

"Yumi!" I yelled, bursting through the cafeteria doors, blinded momentarily by the sunlight that illuminated the school grounds. Jerking my head around, I sighed, frustratingly raking my fingers through my brown locks. Where did she go off to? "Yumi!"

Taking one last survey of the deserted area, I determinedly straightened up my shoulders before steadily pacing towards the first place that came to my mind—the forest.

I didn't think she'd gone back to the factory—not with class starting so soon, and having just got back from that place… with no eager thoughts to return just then… However, I suppose that the most private area that she could escape to would either be her dorm room (which wasn't likely, for some reason) or the shaded and comforting environment of the trees surrounding the school buildings.

I stopped calling her name, knowing that she wouldn't answer me and would also most likely hide when she heard me draw near. So instead, I walked slowly and delicately, so as not to alert her of my presence.

Deciding quickly, I decided that I would go in the direction of the forest entrance. It was the only way that I knew best and could safely return later on if I needed to without worrying about getting lost. I had barely gotten halfway down the path before I heard some stifled sniffles (say that three times fast). Treading softly, I bent down slightly so as to pinpoint the exact location they were coming from and who they belonged to.

My heart sank with guilt when I recognized them as Yumi's… and I had been the one to cause them. Discovering offhandedly that they were coming from the shadows of a rather large bush, I knelt down quietly and hesitantly stuck my head through the smaller branches of the plant.

There was Yumi, her knees pulled up to her chest and her face buried in them. Her dark curtain of hair shielded the small amount of skin visible to my eyes, shoulders shaking with every muffled sob, her form shivering as if she were intensely cold.

"Yumi…" I whispered with self-dislike, and her head snapped up, tear stained cheeks greeting my sight. "What have I done?"

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**Yumi's POV:**

I exited that cursed cafeteria room so forcefully that the doors bounced off their doorstops, rattling the glass windows violently. My eyes were narrowed in hatred, not to mention the fact that they had a glassy look to them due to repressed tears. So much anger and despair was bottled up inside of me, desperate to burst out, that I bent over, strongly gripping my head, and let out a frustrated cry.

Why was I acting like this? I should be happy that Ulrich wasn't dead! I should be overwhelmed with joy and merriment for having my good friend back!

So why was I acting like this?

Deep down, I knew why. However, that fact didn't want to show itself to me at the moment, and that made me even more perturbed.

My feet were on automatic, heading in the direction the four of us usually took to get to the forest entrance to the factory. Angrily, I wiped the burning tears from my face and jolted my head around so that I could remember how to get back when I felt good and ready.

I needed a place to calm down. That was the only thought passing through my mind. I needed a few moments to myself, to collect my thoughts, to work out why I was overreacting and acting so immature.

I needed to get away.

Through the whirl of passing trees, I saw exactly what was required in this situation. It was quite a sizeable bush, branching out to make a sort of hangover with the perfect coverage for fleeting eyes. Without another thought, which was surprising, considering the emotions rampaging within me, I fell to my knees and crawled under.

It was dark; it was muggy; it was seamless.

I took a moment to sigh, bringing my legs in and hugging them to my chest while leaning back and closing my eyes in content. Then again, it didn't last long before the suppressed tears leaked through my eyelids and slid down my already red cheeks. Suddenly, I started to cough, and sniffle, and weep even more, breaking into a full-out breakdown not two minutes later.

How did he do it? How did he mange to make me cry when in any other case I'd be strong, be stable? HOW?

"I hate him," I cursed, my voice breaking slightly due to these infuriating tears. "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him…"

And so I continued to mutter as I cried, rocking back and forth as I struggled to find some sort of solace in my own comforting efforts, knowing full well I wouldn't be able to find it from anyone else.

However, it all stopped when I heard a voice whisper in such a heartbroken voice that my lament session paused for a moment.

"Yumi," the voice said. "What have I done?"

Looking up, I saw spiky brown hair, so soft and smooth looking, falling almost lazily into the path of those chocolate orbs of his, shining with sadness and love…

Wait. _Love?_

I had to stare hard at his eyes, reading the emotion bleeding through so easily, for so long, but came to the conclusion that that was exactly what I was seeing in his eyes.

Love.

"I'm so sorry," were the first words out of my mouth, wiping my eyes with the back of my hands with embarrassment. "You must think I'm being a child, acting like this."

"Not at all," he assured me quickly. "If anything, I was the one being a child, with Lance and all… I could've handled it better." He paused to emit a quick laugh before continuing, "Thinking back, I was being an idiot. I can't believe I did some of those things I did!"

I couldn't help but let out a weak laugh in return. "True, but I guess it was understandable."

He nodded, his small smile fading, as he looked away, instead taking in my resident "plant shack" with contempt.

"Mind if I join you under here?" he asked hesitantly, those same chocolate brown eyes shining with hope.

Not trusting my voice at the moment, I simply nodded and he slid in much more gracefully than I had during my reckless tantrum. He mirrored my position, and let out a brief huff before falling silent once more.

We stayed that way for a couple minutes, the only sound being the soft hiccups I had yet to overcome. After that, I had to break the silence.

So I did.

"Why did you come after me?" I asked, my voice thick with emotion. I looked up at him, my eyes starting to water (as annoying as it was starting to get) again. "Why couldn't you just wait until I came back?"

Ulrich stared at me for a moment with a contemplative look, then quickly looked away sheepishly. "I dunno," he answered with a shrug. "I… guess I just thought you shouldn't be alone when left with such strong feelings…"

"How do you know they were strong emotions?" I launched at him, indignation rising past my sadness. "Maybe I just got sick of your constant mood swings! The way you've been the past couple of weeks, months, I dunno, you could be going through your PMS period!"

As soon as those harsh words left my mouth, I instantly regretted them.

Ulrich bent his heads with shame, going out of his way to look anywhere but at me.

"For now, I'll pretend you never said that," he said as calmly as he could, though his hurt was evident in his voice, "because we just got over saying that we were forgiven for acting so idiotically. It's in the past, and it's a low blow to bring it up after this moment."

I nodded my head in acknowledgement, wordlessly berating myself for being so cruel and thoughtless. I wanted to throw myself into a full-out apology, to beg for his forgiveness since the emotional guilt I was feeling was like impaling a iron-hot rod into my chest—it was uncomfortable, it burned, and it hurt like hell.

"Yumi," Ulrich tried to start smoothly, but managed to choke somehow. "I—I'm so sorry."

I hadn't expected those words to escape his perfectly soft and desirable lips (snap out of it, girl!) If anything, I thought they would escape mine before his. Therefore, I was caught off-guard, and couldn't speak.

I didn't have to; Ulrich had more to say.

"I realize that I should've tried to find another way to save you guys, or to tell you that I would be fine, but…" he trailed off, choking on some brief tears, "you have to understand that I was scared."

He looked up at me with those shining brown eyes of his, and I almost collapsed into more tears of my own at the pain and care that was pouring out of them. He looked so vulnerable, and made me realize how young he really was. I just wanted to envelope him into my arms and comfort him much like I had been doing for myself not five minutes previous.

"I was scared, Yumi—of loosing you, of loosing Odd… I couldn't stand the fact that X.A.N.A. could succeed in… getting rid of"—Yumi noticed he refused to use the word "killing"—"one of us. I just did the first thing that came to mind and hoped that it worked out."

Yumi gave a soft, sad laugh at this. Ulrich wasn't usually the kind to act on impulse, but she guessed desperate times came for desperate measures.

"Thankfully, it did," he managed to get out with a watery smile. "You don't know how happy I was when I able to safe you and Odd, and get rid of "X.A.N.A. Lance" as well. But…I guess I didn't think that the same kinds of thoughts were shared between you and I. I didn't realize how my supposed "death" effected you so much more than it did Jeremie and Odd."

Throughout his whole explanation, his eyes had been shifting around the small dome the plant created for them. Now, though, they were as shifty as ever, as he was unsure whether or not he wanted to continue.

"I tried to understand all throughout lunch, after you got all mad at me and everything," Ulrich admitted with a half-hearted smile. "Really, I did. Barely paid any attention to anyone, I was so focused on it. And when you finally stormed out of the cafeteria, I thought I had found the answer. And… as crazy as it may sound, it makes some sense."

I felt my heart stopped, anticipation and fear taking over my body.

"What is it?" I managed to whisper.

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, as if gathering all of his courage. It seemed as if time slowed, seconds turning into years, minutes into decades. When he finally opened his eyes, they locked onto mine with such a fiery, blazing passion that I had to stifle a gasp.

"Do you like me, Yumi?" he rasped out.

"Huh?" I asked shakily.

"Do you…have feelings for me?" he questioned again.

I couldn't answer, my eyes pinned on his. I took in his appearance, his brave face, his plush brown hair (littered with tiny twigs and leaves all thanks to the small branches that got caught in it), his strong body frame, and, last but not least, his fierce chocolate brown eyes.

"I have feelings for everybody," I told him with a soft smile, my tears clearing up slightly.

Ulrich gave me a confused look, lasting a few seconds, before sighing, bowing his head and making a move to back out of the bush.

"However," I continued seriously, "none are as strong as they are for you."

His head jerked up at this, and he opened his mouth to say something.

Sadly, and not so sadly, he never got the chance to say them.

I practically hurled myself at him, my arms flying forward to wrap around his neck. As if of instinct, his own encircled my waist, even as he fell onto his back with me on top. The momentum from my jump caused us to roll out from underneath the protection the strange bush-plant offered, but we didn't seem to notice. As our movement died away, I was still on top of Ulrich, and he was staring intently at my face, every once in a while darting down to my lips before slowly traveling up.

My own eyes couldn't stay put. They too traced a path to his mouth, and fantasy's that I had kept locked away in the recesses of my mind on what his kisses would feel like flew forward.

Acting on these curiosities, my head bent slowly down to his, and in turn his rose to meet me halfway. Our lips brushed against each other for a split second before Ulrich firmly fitted his mouth to mine.

No words could fully explain the electrical surge I received when my lips met his. They were so soft and warm, gentle and caressing. I felt like I was kissing a chocolate bar, as stupid as it sounded. It made some sort of twisted sense in my love-high mind—his every look was chocolate, why not his kisses?

We pulled apart, slightly dazed, for only a second before he sat up, pulling me firmly against him to the point of straddling his legs, and pressed his lips to my own with less hesitation.

His mouth moved against mine, and I had to stifle a moan rising in the back of my throat as he ran one of his burning hands up my spine, up and down, up and down. He insistently nibbled on my lips, desperate to explore my mouth. A small voice in the back of my head asked, _why not?_

So I let him in.

And I swear I had just died and went to heaven. As clichéd as it sounded, that was one way to vaguely describe what I was feeling. Every sweep of his hot wet tongue (as disgusting as it may sound) caressed everything it came in contact with. Every once in a while, he coaxed mine into play, but always managed to keep dominant.

After drawing myself out of my pleasure-dazed mind, I found myself not liking the fact that he was taking control of the kiss _I_ had initiated. My idle hands, which were not so idle considering they were playing the hairs at the back of Ulrich's nape, rested on the sides of his mouth before pulling him closer to me.

My tongue challenged his, and we dueled with passion and what I hoped was love and not lust. The feelings that were coursing through my body set fire to my veins. I didn't know if this was having the same effects on Ulrich as it did on me, but if his own groans of pleasure were anything to go by, I'd say he was having more trouble keeping a clear mind than I was.

I don't know how far we would've gone (no, nothing past a very heated make-out session), and it was all thanks to one person I _never_ had the pleasure of seeing.

"EWWWW!" Sissi squealed shrilly.

Ulrich and I jumped apart, though I was still sitting in his lap, my legs molded perfectly to fit with his, and looked around at the dark-haired girl. She was standing there behind us, holding her hands to her mouth with her face twisted in disgust.

"That is SO wrong!" she shrieked with a angry look. "You'll get in trouble by the teachers if they see you, there are _rules_ against public displays of affection."

"Really?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, finally getting over my passion-filled state of mind.

"Well, we never were very good at abiding by rules of any kind, were we, Yumi?" Ulrich added, giving my waist a quick squeeze.

"No, we were more for making up our own," I agreed with a cheeky smile. Then, pretending to have that "I have an idea" look on my face, I also supplied, "I just thought of one! Rule #634: Any time Sissi is nearby, start instant make-out session."

"Granted," Ulrich laughed with a pleased smile, before leaning in and claiming my lips with a quick, loving kiss.

Which was shortly followed by several more quick, loving kisses.

Which inevidably lead to a heated make-out session.

Another screech came from Sissi, but neither one of us looked like we noticed. She said something, in her shrill, annoying voice, but we were too caught up in our "public act of affection" to actually listen to her. We then heard footsteps, which we assumed were hers as she stomped away to throw a temper tantrum in front of her so-called "friends".

I reluctantly pulled away from Ulrich, which I was surprised I had the strength to do, and just looked down at him. He had that same charming smile on his face, his eyes sparkling with that laughter that stayed alive in them at all times. I idly ran my hands through his hair and reveled in the fact that it was _way_ softer than it looked.

"Ulrich," I started quietly.

"Yeah?" he answered just as gently.

"We all good?"

He laughed that laugh that I could never, in a million years of hearing it, get sick of before giving me one of his loving grins. "Yes, we're are very good."

"Good," I answered with a similar smile. Brushing my nose against his, I whispered, "Class should be starting soon."

"So?" he shrugged playfully.

"So… we need to be there when it does."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Ulrich."

"Huh… fine."

Once again, I got up with way too much reluctance for it to be healthy, and helped pull Ulrich up with me. Holding his hand, he intertwined our fingers, and it amazed me how wonderfully they fit together.

We were made for each other.

"Ulrich?" I suddenly questioned.

"Yu-huh?" he chirped happily. I had to quiet a laugh at how giddy he seemed to be.

"What does this mean now?" I asked, raising our entangled hands.

"It means," he answered in that tender tone of his, bringing the back of my hand to his lips for a quick kiss, "that you won't be checking out any more new guys as long as I'm standing next to you."

I blushed, remembering how I had so mindlessly fawned over Lance the first time around when I had met him.

"Not a chance in hell," I assured him.

"Good."

"Good," I echoed, knowing full well that at that moment on, life would be good.

**_THE END!_**

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.:AN:.**

Okay, folks! How did I do? As I said, I need you to tell me. Please, I need to know! Once again, this was my first fluffy scene, and I hope that I got it pretty good. Did I get it good? I hope I got it good. Please say I got it good. I need to know if I got it good! NEED TO KNOW, PEOPLE!

Anyways, thanks to EVERYONE who has reviewed to my story through and through. I'd love to go through and thank everyone, but it would just take too long.

I will start posting the rewritten version of Anime Bubbles story, **I'll See You**. Is it bad that I'm changing things to her story? I hope not. Tell me if that's bad, and I won't do it. I'll just post her chapters, then write my own.

Oh, back to the previous topic, people have asked me for a sequel. I'll think about it. Since I am now starting my first year of high school (I know, hard to believe), I may not have a lot of time to do so… but I'll see.

THANKS AGAIN! STAY TUNED! PLEASE!

AND TELL ME HOW I DID!


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